Breathless
by Liadan01
Summary: Robin... Raven... Slade... a love triangle that could destroy one or all.
1. Chapter 1

Helloo there… here's my first story on this site, so please let me know what you think

_Helloo there… here's my first story on this site, so please let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy!_

_**Chapter 1: Feelings**_

Raven sat on her bed, back against the wall, book propped up on her knees. It was one of her favourite books, one that she was reading for the third time, but for the first time, she just couldn't concentrate. She would get to the bottom of a page and realise that she didn't remember what she had just read. Her eyes were reading, but her mind was somewhere very different…

"RAVEN!" Raven jumped as Starfire burst into her room.  
"Star! Haven't I told you enough times that you have to knock?"  
"Oh, forgive me, friend, but I have the most wondrous news that I simply had to tell you immediately!"  
Stifling a sigh, Raven put her book aside. "What is it then?" she said resignedly.  
"Robin has asked me to do the going out with him!" Starfire burst out. She grinned at Raven eagerly, her eyes alight. "Is it not wonderful? Apparently, I am now his 'girlfriend' and he is my 'boyfriend' but this makes no sense to me, as we were friends anyway, and I am a girl and he is a boy… Do you think…?"

Starfire's voice trailed off out of Raven's mind. This could not be happening. After last night… he went and did this?

The night before, Raven had been meditating on the roof of Titans Tower when Robin had come crashing through the door. "Damn it!" he muttered as he stumbled through. Then he looked up and saw Raven. "Oh, sorry Rae, I didn't know you were up here." He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Sorry about the noise, the door got jammed."  
"Its okay." said Raven, as she came out of her meditation pose. Robin came to stand next to her. He smiled at her and then looked out to the red and orange horizon. "Sunset." He said with a smile in his voice.  
"Yes, it is." Raven said. He chuckled which made Raven smile. There was something in the air, a new feeling, a change, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Robin looked at her sideways, a lopsided grin on his face. Suddenly, Raven had the strangest longing to see him with his mask off, to see his eyes glint with the mischief that his face suggested.  
"It's kind of romantic, isn't it?" he said gesturing to the sunset. He stepped closer to her and took her hand. "You're cold," he said, his brow furrowing slightly with concern. He rubbed her chilly fingers between his hands. Raven found that her heart was beating a little faster than usual. She swallowed, finding her mouth rather dry too. What was going on? And why did she get the feeling that some underlying emotions were about to come out from both of them?  
Robin leaned closer, and Raven's breath stopped altogether. "Raven, I…"

_"Roo-biin!"_ Starfire's voice came floating up the stairs. Robin looked around towards the door, then back at Raven, who suddenly realised that her hand had been dropped. "I gotta go." He said. "You coming down for dinner?"  
Raven slowly shook her head. "Not right now."  
With one last smile, he had turned and left.

This was what Raven had been thinking about until now. She had realised that she had feelings for Robin, and maybe he did too, considering the feel of the episode on the roof. She had been sure that something was in the air. Since then, Raven had been contemplating taking the chance of following her heart. She was so afraid that something like what happened with Malchior would happen again. But she had reasoned with herself that it was different with Robin. She'd known him a long time.

But now. Now this had happened. Was she doomed to have everything fall in her face if she decided to trust? Could she ever trust her emotions? Apparently not, since it always led her to despair.

"Raven? Raven, are you listening to me?" Starfire's voice broke into her thoughts. Raven gave herself a mental shake. "Yes," she replied vaguely.  
"Well, I must go and tell Cyborg and Beastboy. We shall speak later, friend Raven!" With that, she dashed out of the room.

Raven sat still for a moment. What was she going to do now? She couldn't face Robin yet and pretend that she thought the news was great. She decided to leave the tower and go for a long walk to clear her chaotic head. She needed to gain some control.

A few minutes later, she found herself in the city park. She sat cross-legged on the bank of the lake. For hours she sat, unmoving, until the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The sky was shot with only a little red and orange when she got up. As she came back to herself, she was surprised to see how dark it was already. She sighed. Time to go back to reality.

But before she could even turn around, someone gripped her from behind, a foul-smelling piece of cotton held fast over her nose and mouth, stifling her cry of surprise. She struggled, trying to twist out of the iron grip. "Settle down, Raven." She froze; that deep, metallic voice was unmistakeable. Slade. _Don't breathe in,_ she thought frantically, but her body betrayed her before the thought was finished. As soon as she inhaled, she felt her consciousness start slipping away. The last thing she was aware of was being dragged back against a hard body. _No._

_  
End of Chapter 1._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Prisoner

_Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 1! Enjoy Chapter 2!_

_**Chapter 2: Prisoner**_

Raven drifted, weightless, in the endless darkness. She could sense the light, and struggled towards it. It evaded her, but her spirit continued to fight for it. Slowly, she began to grow aware of the soft surface her body was laid on. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself looking up at a plain, dark, wooden ceiling. Where was she? What happened to her?

Raven's violet eyes slowly closed in on themselves as a splitting headache began spreading across her skull. And she groaned as she remembered what had happened. That foul-smelling cotton. She must have had a bad reaction to the chemical._ Damn you Slade!_ she thought.

The thought of Slade had her sitting up. She groaned again as her head throbbed. Where was he? Where was _she?_ She looked around and found that she was in a small cell-like room, with only the bed she had been lying on. She saw two wooden doors; one was heavy and bolted the other thin and warped, and ajar. She went to investigate. Inside was a tiny cupboard sized room that held a toilet and a wash basin. Raven guessed that the heavy door was the exit from her prison. She went to the basin and splashed her face, hoping it would revive her a little. Back in the first room, she took a closer look around. As she had noticed before, the ceiling was wooden, though it looked somewhat mouldy and damp. The walls and floor were plain concrete making the room rather cold and dark, especially since there was no window. The bed was simple and covered in rough patchwork blankets and a rather lumpy pillow.

Raven sighed. Not much to live on. She'd go crazy in a few days, no doubt. Looking down at herself, she found that no clothing had been removed; her cloak was still on, but slightly wrinkled now. Then she noticed that she hadn't been completely untouched; on her left wrist was a plain, silver, metal band. She lifted her wrist to her eyes, examining the foreign object. Peering closely, she noticed that on the inner side there was something that looked like a circuit board that went the whole way around the band, but on the inside where it could not be easily seen. It was also so that it touched her skin at all times. Raven shivered; she suddenly felt rather invaded, and she could see no way to get it off. Perhaps it was a tracking device to make sure she did not escape. _Damn you, Slade!_ she thought again.

As if her mind conjured him, suddenly Raven heard the scraping of a large key in a rusty lock and then her door swung open. There stood Slade, framed in the doorway. Without a word, he turned and closed the door behind him then faced her… and just stared at her. Raven crossed her arms, not giving him the satisfaction of her asking him what he wanted. He would have to tell her if he wanted her to know.

"Well well, Raven… quite a surprisingly easily capture. I expected to have more trouble from you. Though I must say, you did seem rather… _preoccupied._"

Raven deigned to raise a lofty brow, regarding him with contempt.

"Have you nothing to say?" he said with a chuckle.

"What would you have me do?" Raven replied with heavy sarcasm. "Beg for my life or the life of my friends? Beg for mercy? Plead for my release? You can forget it. Though I am curious as to what you could possibly hope to achieve by taking me."

Slade chuckled again. "I've always admired your spirit, Raven." He began to advance on her, but she stood her ground. "What I hope to gain, Raven, is Robin's demise. He will find that his love has been captured, by none other than his mortal enemy. I intend to keep him in pain for as long as it takes; he will find no trace of you for months until one day, when he is at his weakest, I will confront him somewhere of my choosing and we will fight to the death. For you."

Raven's eyes had grown wider and wider. She mastered the shock quickly, however, and managed to speak with scorn. "It will not work."

"Oh really? And why is that?" he said sarcastically.

"Because he doesn't love me."

Slade could see that she had tried to say this without emotion, but he had heard the note of dejection. So she loved him. Even more surprising to him was his stab of sympathy for her. It was a little difficult to see her as a powerful enemy when she looked so small and delicate, her violet eyes wide and innocent looking.

What was this? He was thinking like a fool! She was not just a girl; she had more power than he dared imagine!

Seeing that he was distracted for a second, Raven tried to summon her powers and send a jet straight for his chest. _"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" _She stumbled back, horrified. Her powers! Gone!

"Nice try, Raven. See that metal band on your wrist?" He grabbed her left wrist and pulled her towards him. "Neutralises all your powers." He said in a low voice.

Lifting her arm, he slowly pulled her closer until their faces were inches apart (Raven's looking up at his since he was at least a head taller than her). "So don't… even… _try."_ He said slowly and emphatically.

He flung her away from him so she fell backwards onto the bed. He stood looking down at her.

"And about what you said, that Robin doesn't love you, we shall see." He turned to leave, then, remembering something, looked over his shoulder at her. "Meals will be brought to you by only me at mealtimes and you will be allowed some fresh air twice a day, escorted by only me." With that, he left, the heavy door swinging shut behind him and the key grinding in the lock.

Raven's breath rushed out of her and her whole body went limp on the bed as she relaxed her muscles. What was she going to do? If Slade told the truth, Raven would go for months without practicing to control her powers or even using her powers. It would take her ages to get the same level of control again. Damn that man! The small room suddenly seemed to be closing in on her and she felt extremely claustrophobic. The air felt thick and heavy. How could she survive here for months? She was going mad already!

_End of Chapter 2._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Nowhere to Run

_**Chapter 3: Nowhere to Run**_

After a week of captivity, Raven was beginning to chafe severely. Slade allowed her such little time out of the little room she was allotted; for most of the days she was locked up with nothing to do. Frustration mounted; she wished that she could use all this spare time to meditate, but that of course was impossible. The food he brought her was hardly satisfying either.

Almost as if called, the key suddenly scraped in the lock, making Raven jump. It swung open and Slade entered, balancing her breakfast of runny eggs, dry toast and watery coffee in his hands. He made to shove the door closed with his wide shoulder, but Raven, struck with a desperate impulse, darted forward slipped out the door, slamming it behind her. As she turned to run, she heard the metal plate and mug crash to the floor as Slade dropped it to come after her.

Without hesitation, she sprinted down the long, shadowy corridor. Halfway down, she heard the heavy door crash open behind her and Slade's heavy footsteps as he began to sprint after her. Oh, if only she had her powers, she could buy herself more time! She turned left at the end of the hallway and took the staircase she found two stairs at a time. At the top, she ran right, towards the light that seemed to be spilling into the building. Hoping it was a way out, Raven ran forward, turning left, right, right again and left… how big was this place?

Eventually, she had to stop and catch her breath. She leaned back against the wall, panting heavily. She could no longer hear Slade's footsteps, so she figured it was safe to stop for a moment. But she was wrong; within minutes, she heard him again, approaching fast. She knew she wouldn't be able to evade him now, so she darted behind the closest door. Her ear pressed against it, she heard Slade run past. With a sigh of relief, she turned and pressed her back against the door, resting her head back, her eyes closed.

Suddenly, Raven realised that there was definite chill in the room she had entered. She opened her eyes and found that it wasn't quite a room, but a staircase. It was dark; in fact, it seemed that it hadn't seen light for many years. Some kind of mad curiosity drew her down the staircase, some kind of force; she felt compelled to go down.

At the bottom, she found herself in a long, dark corridor that seemed to have rooms. She struggled to make it out in the pressing darkness. She walked forward a little, squinting trying to see… she jumped back in fright as she realised that they were cells; it was a dungeon! Suddenly the darkness seemed to press on her, triggering a well hidden memory…

"_No…" _Raven moaned as she fell to her knees. _A dark dungeon… a woman's scream… "Mother!" a ten-year old Raven called as she was dragged away… "Raven! Go Raven! Get away!" then another agonised scream… "Mother, no!" the little girl sobbed… Mother… Mother… the girl's sobs and the mother's screams echoing off the stone walls… pain… so much pain… take us way from here…_

Raven, on her knees, her hands tangled in her hair, felt the strong hands close on her upper arms. They pulled her up, out of the darkness of her pain, turning her.

Instead of fighting him, as Slade had expected her to do, she turned willingly to him, tears coursing down her face, and buried her face in his chest. He looked down at her in shock as she pressed closer, her body wracked with sobs. He looked down at her, stunned. Looking around the dark dungeon, he sensed that this place had triggered something in her. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her and lifted her. Her arms came around his neck as she continued to sob and press into him. Carefully, he carried her up the stairs. He had never held a woman like this before, never heard a woman cry like this. No woman had ever looked to him for comfort before.

As surprised as he was about Raven's behaviour towards him, he was more surprised at his reaction. A powerful sense of protectiveness came over him as he cradled her shaking body. He wanted to soothe her pain. What was this girl doing to him?

Once he was out of the dungeon, he hesitated, wondering where he ought to take her; back to her cell, or somewhere more comfortable? He opted for the latter; as strange as it all was to him, he just couldn't take her back to that cold room.

He continued the way that she had been running; if she'd continued, she'd have found that there was nowhere to run. She had been running deeper into the huge house. He turned and went up a flight of stairs, being careful not to jostle her too much. She seemed to be more relaxed now; she had stopped her sobs, but she was still shaking, her eyes closed as she snuggled against him. Finally, he arrived at the room he was looking for; the one next to his. It would be easier this way, he thought, to bring her food. It had been quite a trek down to that room every few times a day.

He pushed the door open with his shoulder and carried her over to the big four poster bed. As he made to put her down, she tensed and clung to him again. _"Don't leave me!"_ she whispered agonisingly. This was getting ridiculous. Ten minutes ago she had been his prisoner and now he was acting as if she was… something else. Still… he couldn't bring himself to leave her when she was in this state.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself softly as he lay on the bed with her, still cradling her in the circle of his arms. He half lay, half sat with his back propped against the headboard; she lay pressed against his side, her head resting on his chest. Slade found his hand lifting to stroke her silky hair. It seemed to soothe her, so he continued. Soon, her shaking subsided and she slipped into a sleep brought on by emotional exhaustion.

Slade stared down at his captive. What was he to do with her? Where had his ruthlessness gone? He had never thought that these emotions existed in him. And why did she have to be so beautiful? It did not make his predicament any easier to handle.

He laid for hours, studying her tear-streaked face, her soft hair falling over her cheek. After a while, his sleepless nights caught up with him, and he fell asleep. As he slept, his arms unconsciously tightened around Raven, drawing her closer to his body heat.

_End of Chapter 3_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Hide the Emotions

_Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy Chapter 4, and look out for chapter 5, coming soon!_

_**Chapter 4: Hiding**__** the Emotions**_

Robin's green-gloved fist slammed down on the table, making everything on it shudder. "Where is she?" he ground out. They'd looked everywhere. Everywhere. Raven wasn't in the city. Someone was trying very hard – and succeeding – to keep them from finding her. The other question that had been plaguing him for the past weeks was 'who had taken her?'

"Slade…" Robin muttered under his breath. Only he would know how this would drive Robin mad. Slade had outwitted and beat Robin so many times that Robin had been driven to obsession. And this long period of getting nowhere would drive him crazy. Slade knew it.

The rest of the team lay sprawled around the sitting room, examining maps of the city or the documents on the lairs of all their enemies. Robin was standing in front of the huge screen at the front of the room, going over security cameras from all over the city. With a silent cry of frustration, he turned to the rest of the team, hiding the anger and irritation that had been written on his face. "Titans." He said. They all looked up in unison, the tiredness of the past days showing in their faces. "Obviously, Raven is not being kept in the city. There is nowhere else to look; we must now broaden the search. Starting tomorrow, we will search every small town or village we come across. She has to be somewhere in the vicinity." They all nodded, rubbing their eyes and trying to stifle yawns. "We'd better get some sleep then." He said. Dismissed, the team got up and headed towards their separate bedrooms.

Robin turned back to the screen, his shoulders slumping out of the tense position they'd been in. They shot back up again, however, when he felt a hand on his arm. "Robin," came Starfire's voice. "Are you not going to bed?"

"In a minute, Star. I've just got to finish up here."

"Why do you care so much that you would risk your health for Raven? I could – I could almost say that I have reason to be jealous!"

Robin sighed. "Star, even if I was in love with Raven – which I'm not – why would it bother you?"

"Well, are we not doing the going out?" she said huffily.

"Star, I've explained this before. I said that we could go and see a movie. That doesn't mean that we are going out. Okay?" Tossing her head back sulkily, she turned and walked stiffly to her bedroom.

When all was quiet, Robin took his mask off and rubbed his bright green eyes. Rolling his shoulders to loosen them, he turned back to the screen and went back to work.

Raven slowly opened her puffy eyes. She winced as he remembered what had happened in the dungeon. Her mother… the darkness… the pain…. Resolutely, she buried the memory deep in herself once more, hoping it would never be resurrected again.

Raven shifted, stretching her stiff limbs. Suddenly she became aware of the strong arms around her. And she remembered; why she had been in that dungeon, who she was running from, why she was running… her eyes snapped open. Her cheek was pressed into his chest, his arms cradling her. They were pressed so close she couldn't have fitted her hand between them. And he was sleeping, his chest rising and falling softly beneath her cheek. With a yelp of shock she jumped back. Throwing Slade's arms off her, she scrambled backwards until suddenly the bed fell out from under her. Her ankle bent under her as she fell onto the floor and she gasped in pain.

She jumped back onto her feet as she heard him stir. Her ankle gave way under her, and she grabbed the bedpost with a moan of pain. Suddenly Slade was standing up, right beside her. "Are you alright?" he said softly with… was it concern? This wasn't the Slade she knew. She backed away from him, or limped. "What's going on here? Why were – why were we –?" she gestured helplessly towards the bed.

Slade, hiding the emotions that scared even him, said, "I should ask you that question, Raven." Ah. The hard voice of Slade was back. "If you recall, you were trying to escape. I found you, however, curled up in the old dungeon, sobbing. I'm afraid you wouldn't let me leave you."

Raven closed her eyes in mortification. The things she must have said… what must he think of her? She opened her eyes, and looked at him squarely, straightening her posture. The effect was ruined, however, when she put her weight on her sprained ankle and she nearly fell over with a gasp of pain. But she was caught, by none other than Slade. "What have you done to your ankle?" he said in that same soft voice. "I twisted it when I fell out of that bed! Now let go of me." She struggled out of the circle of his arms. "Just because I called out to you in a daze doesn't mean anything's changed." She said firmly. "Now, you may escort me back to that accursed cell."

"Oh I don't think so." He said. Raven stared hard at him.

"Oh, you're taking me home? How kind of you."

"Nice try. But I can no longer trust you. I will have to keep you much closer from now on."

"Closer? How much closer?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"In my own room. Yes, you will have to sleep next to me." He added at her look of horror. "And just you try to escape from that!" he said harshly.

"You – I – I can't – I refuse to sleep in your room! You can't force me!" Raven stuttered.

"Oh you'll find that I can." With that, he grabbed her arm and picked her up. Before she could utter a protest, he swept out of the room and went into the one next door. Inside, he dumped her on the bed.

"Now," he said, looking down on her. "Seeing as you abandoned your breakfast this morning, you must be hungry. I'm going to get some food and some ointments for your ankle. I'll be back in a few minutes, so don't even think of trying anything."

When he was gone, Raven scrambled over to the huge bay window in the room and settled among the fluffy pillows. The room looked out on many green pastures and off to the right was a vast forest.

Great. She was in the middle of nowhere. The Titans would never find her, and even if she managed to escape, she wouldn't have a clue which way to go. Oh, Slade was a clever bastard.

_End of Chapter 4_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Curiosity

_Thanks so much for all the reviews! Keep reading! :) _

_**Chapter 5:**__** Curiosity**_

Slade threw some cheese, ham and bread onto a plate. Going over to the fridge, he pulled out a bottle of apple juice and put it on the table next to the plate. He still felt strange being back in his childhood home. He remembered that he had never been allowed in the kitchen; his parents were very rich, and they had always treated him like he was an annoyance. No matter what he did, he was always under their feet and irritating them in some way. As a boy, all he'd ever wanted was for his father to smile at him. Just once. And maybe with a hint of pride… but he'd grown up, and he one day understood that his parents would never love him.

When they died, he was left the house since there was no will. He had hidden Raven here because it was so remote and so unlike him, the villain the Titans knew. He also knew the area back to front, so Raven would never be able to get far should she manage to escape. Which was unlikely. The Titans wouldn't dream of looking here, and he wouldn't give them the opportunity to track him until he wanted them to. It was the perfect plan.

Picking up the plate and juice, he headed for the steps, a bottle of ointment tucked under his arm. When he reached his room – no, their room – he found Raven curled up in the bay window. She was staring out the window; she looked so peaceful in the soft light. But as he entered, her head jerked up from where it had been resting on her arm. Holding up the plate, he said, "Hungry?"

She glared at him for a moment before grudgingly nodding. He chuckled softly as he pulled a little table up next to where she sat and set the plate and juice down. Raven took a piece of ham and nibbled at it, never taking her wary eyes off him.

He knelt down next to her, near the leg, he noticed, that she had propped up on a pillow. He unscrewed the lid of the bottle of ointment and saw Raven wrinkle her nose as the potent smell wafted over to her. "Don't even think of putting that stuff on me." She said.

"It will bring the swelling down." He said. Reaching into the pocket of his cargo pants, he pulled out a wad of bandages.

Raven watched him, still trying to get used to her enemy dressed in casual clothes. He wore khaki pants, a long-sleeved black top and black combat boots. The only thing that identified him as the villain she knew was the mask. As he bent forward, unrolling the bandages, Raven couldn't help but notice how the fabric of his shirt pulled across his back, emphasising his well sculpted muscles and broad shoulders. What am I thinking? She thought, and watched instead what he was doing. He dipped his middle and index fingers into the ointment and reached for her leg with his other hand. His fingers on her skin were surprisingly warm and gentle. Raven flinched, sucking in her breath as his thumb pressed a little too close to the sore area. "Sorry," he said softly. With care, he began to rub the potent substance into her ankle. It soothed the pain, and Raven relaxed.

As he rubbed, his thumbs moving in circular movements, Raven watched his hands. She had never seen them bare; his fingers were long with slightly square tips. They were strong hands, capable of violence, but right now, gentleness. They were large too – Raven was willing to bet her hand was at least half the size of his. Overall, he had handsome hands – if that made any sense – and she was surprised; they weren't the type of hands she expected a villain to have. Especially not Slade.

He finished with the ointment and Raven was a little disappointed – it had felt nice. He picked up a bandage and wrapped it around her ankle. Then another and another until she could scarcely move her foot.

He stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth. "Thank you." Raven said softly. "It… it feels better."

"Good." He replied.

"So tell me, Slade," Raven said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Where are we?"

"You should've guessed that I can't tell you that."

"Okay, well how about a bit of background knowledge on this actual building? How did you get this old mansion? Was it abandoned?" she asked.

He sighed. "No. Well, yes, in a manner of speaking."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

"This was my parents' house, okay? This is where I grew up. Happy?"

Raven blinked. She hadn't expected that. And she'd actually begun to like this house? She didn't know why, but it seemed to hold so many secrets. It was a sad house, and it seemed to suit her, she thought. But this was actually where he grew up? Somehow, she couldn't picture a young Slade. It was like he'd always been… Slade. She never thought of him having parents and a childhood… he was her enemy. Why would she wonder about his youth? But right now, she did find herself wondering what kind of childhood he'd had. Had it been unhappy and made him who he was today?

"So… why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"Surely you can guess that one? It's in the middle of nowhere."

"Yes, yes, okay… but surely there are plenty of other remote places?"

"I'm sure, but none as convenient." He replied.

"But…"

"Why so many questions, Raven?" he interrupted. "You know I won't tell you anything that will be of any use to you."

Raven shrugged. "Curiosity."

"Funny; I never thought of you as the curious type." Raven raised her eyebrows in challenge. He chuckled and stood up. "As riveting as this chat is, I have things to do. I'll be back later with dinner. Enjoy some solitude." _While you can,_ Raven added silently.

As he made to leave, she called after him, "Wait!" he stopped and turned back, his hand on the doorknob. "Please, I need something to do or I'll go out of my mind with boredom. Don't you have any books or something?"

He considered her for a moment before nodding curtly. "Look under the bed." With that, he turned and left, locking the door behind him.

Curious, she limped over to the bed and peered under it. She saw a large square shape, and dragged it out. It was a big, dusty box, filled with books. "Thank God." Raven muttered. There was nothing like losing herself in a book. It was the best way to escape the world, even if it was just for a little while. And by the look of the box, there'd be enough to keep her busy until she could finally get out of Slade's beautiful old house.

_End of Chapter 5_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sleepless Nights

_Your reviews are great, guys! Thanks so much, and keep them coming____ Enjoy!_

_**Chapter 6: Sleepless Nights**_

Raven's eyes travelled rapidly across the pages of the book. She was surprised to find that Slade owned so many good ones. Since when did he have books anyway? Raven just couldn't picture Slade reading. It seemed… too soft. The one she was reading in particular was not something she would ever have imagined him owning. It was a mythical story of love and pride, with magic and dragons all incorporated to make an intricate and beautiful tale. This is what Raven did; there was nothing that could take her away from everything like a book could. When she was reading, she could put all her problems aside and lose herself in something completely different and wonderful. It was so much better than reality sometimes. And this is what she did now. Blocking out the rest of the world, she buried herself within the pages of the tale. In fact, Raven was so engrossed in the book that, from her position in the bay window, she didn't notice her silent spectator.

Slade leaned against the doorjamb, his arms folded over his broad chest, as he watched her read. She looked so much more peaceful when she was reading. So different from the sarcastic, guarded person he saw when he spoke to her. The angry lines were smoothed from her brow, the hardness in her eyes softened. She looked young… and vulnerable. Is this what she tried to hide from the world? Her vulnerability? She always tried so hard to appear strong and in control. Was it all just a cover for the person he saw now?

Suddenly becoming aware of his presence, Raven's head snapped up and her eyes fastened on him. All the walls went up in a matter of seconds, and her guarded eyes became stormy. "What are you doing there, watching me?" she said angrily.

"Watching you." He said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"It's time for your evening stroll. I thought you might be tired of being cooped up, but it seems I've interrupted. Perhaps you would rather…"

"No," she said quickly. As much as she was enjoying the book, she would take any opportunity to get out of the room for a while. "I'll go."

"Well, come on then."

She closed the book and stood up, stretching slightly. Grabbing her dark blue cloak, she walked towards him, fastening it at her neck. At the door, she moved past him, and without waiting, continued down the corridor. Before she could take more than a few steps, however, she felt his hand close over her elbow. "Slow down." He murmured. Tossing her hair back, she sent him a glare over her shoulder. He just chuckled and led her down a large flight of stairs, still clutching her elbow. Though she tried to shrug his hand off, he clung on.

Outside, he walked her around an old cobbled courtyard. Vines crept up the sides of the walls and the beds of plants and trees were extremely overgrown. The floors of the beds were choked with weeds and the soil was sandy. It was still an oddly enchanting area, and Raven loved it. But then maybe it was the fresh air that made her love it so. Lifting her head, her eyes closed, she breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the clean air, untainted by the fumes of city life.

She must have made a sound of contentment, because she was reminded of the presence of her captor by his voice. "Better?" he said.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her. She nodded stiffly and pulled her hood up to hide her face. Why did he probe her so much when he looked at her? Like he was trying to look inside her. Damn him! As if he had any right. How was she going to survive months of this? And she had to sleep next to him! She glanced up to the dark night sky. Which she would be doing soon. Shit!

Robin tossed and turned in his soft bed. Sleep constantly evaded him. It was as if every moment he spent not searching was wasted, even though the investigation was going nowhere. The best they had found were some scuffle marks on the bank of the lake in the park. He was sure it was Raven because her soft boot prints had been there – as well as some much larger ones. Those were Slade's he was sure. But they had found nothing else to give them a lead. The prints had stopped abruptly, leading them nowhere.

Grinding his teeth, he turned over again, but his brain would not keep quiet. Soon these sleepless nights were going to impair his ability to think at all. With a heavy sigh he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He would never be able to sleep peacefully until he found Raven – and Slade. And he had to be sharp when he did. This was Slade's plan, to slowly erode at Robin's strength and sanity. And he would not let that happen. He could not.

As Raven and Slade made their way back up to the bedroom, Raven ascended the stairs with heavy trepidation. She didn't think that he would try anything; it was just so… personal. Sharing a bed was just not something that enemies did.

In the room, Raven stood around awkwardly, not knowing how to act. Maybe she could curl up on the window seat instead…

"Raven?" Slade said softly. She looked up at him slowly. "Here." He tossed her some pyjamas. There was a dark purple shirt and a pair of soft, black, knee-length pants. She looked at him reproachfully.

"Why have you given me these?" she asked.

"I thought it would be more comfortable." He said as though the answer were obvious. Raven raised a doubtful brow, but made no comment.

"I'll leave now, but I'll be back in a little while, and I expect you to be in bed when I get back. Don't even bother disobeying me." He added with a pointed glance at the bay window.

Once he'd left, Raven scrambled into the pyjamas and laid her clothes on the chair at the foot of the bed. Reluctantly, she slid between the covers, her book in hand. Fluffing the pillows behind her back, she propped the book on her knees and began to read. About ten minutes later, Slade entered again, still dressed in his everyday clothes. With a glance at her, he headed for the free side of the bed and sat down. Pulling off his boots, he laid back fully clothed.

Raven eyed him speculatively. "You often sleep in your clothes?" she asked mildly.

"All the time." He said with a dose of sarcasm worthy of her. Raven turned back to her book, forcing down the little smile twitching at her lips. But before she could read one line, he had reached over and switched the light off, plunging them into darkness. "Nice." She said as she closed the book with a snap. She heard him chuckle as he rolled onto his side. With a sigh of resignation, Raven put her book down and shifted down onto her side, her back to him.

After a while, his breathing deepened, and she relaxed. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

_End of Chapter 6_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Frustration

_Hey there! Hope you enjoy the next chapter! Keep the great reviews coming__!___

_**Chapter 7: For Raven**_

Robin fell backwards with a thump onto his bed. The tower was quiet; it was around two in the morning, and Robin had been, not surprisingly, sifting through every tiny clue as to where Slade had taken Raven. Nothing new. Finally Robin gave into his exhaustion, but even now, lying on his bed, sleep evaded him.

With a sigh of frustration, he took his mask off, chucking it onto his bedside table. Sometimes he was extremely grateful for the mask that hid his bright green eyes; if the titans saw him without it, they would be able to see how worn out he was. Dark rings shadowed his sockets and the whites of his eyes were webbed with red squiggly lines. No doubt they would force a sleeping pill down his throat and tie him to his bed. But he couldn't have them worrying about him – it was Raven they needed to worry about.

Robin missed her. She was the sane one around here. Cyborg and Beastboy were great friends and so was Star, but they all got on his nerves eventually. Beastboy's endless lame jokes… Starfire's tiring enthusiasm… Cyborg's loud booming voice… in his sleepless state, Robin just couldn't help but get annoyed with them. He kept it to himself though, not wanting to hurt their feelings, but it just made him miss Raven even more. She always listened to him; she understood him and he understood her. Not many people really valued what she was like; they just judged her from what they saw of her. And Robin was glad that he knew her the way he did. She really was an extraordinary person. And he admired her. He missed her quiet companionship, her dry comments that never failed to make him chuckle, her soft thoughtful eyes. She was someone he could confide in. And now more than ever, he needed to talk to someone.

Frustrated, Robin got up and began to pace. It had been two weeks since Rae had disappeared. And Robin had a feeling that it was just the beginning of the wait Slade had in mind for him. Two weeks with nothing but snatches of sleep was already driving him crazy! He had to find a lead. He had to think of something.

He paced. Rubbed his eyes. Paced some more. Two-thirty in the morning… three in the morning… Robin ground his teeth as the smooth, masked face of his enemy seemed to loom in front of him, laughing scornfully. "You'll never find her… never get her back… never…" Robin squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing them vigorously with the tips of his fingers. "Yes… I will." He whispered.

Suddenly, he had an idea. Maybe he should have a look into Slade's background. It could help Robin to understand Slade more… how he thinks and what he would do… yes. That's what he would do. Robin felt an enormous amount of relief once he knew what he was going to do next. It was uncertainty that killed him.

Robin was so busy thinking about his new idea, that he didn't at first hear the footsteps coming down the passage outside his door. When his door started to open, he quickly whirled, his back to the door, his hand flying up to cover his eyes. "Who is it?" he said angrily.

"It's me, Robin." came Beastboy's voice. "Hey… aren't you wearing your mask?"

"What did you think? I sleep with it on?" he snapped.

"Well, I dunno… it's just… part of you."

Robin sighed. "What d'you want? Is something wrong?"

"Nah, I was just going to get a drink and I saw that your light was on. Can't sleep?"

Robin shrugged, his back still turned. "Chuck me my mask, will ya?"

Beastboy picked it up and gave it over reluctantly. "Don't you wanna give me a peek? We've always wondered what colour your eyes are. C'mon."

"Sorry." He replied as he turned around, mask in place. "I wear it for a reason."

"Ah c'mon! You suck, man! I was so close to a glimpse."

Robin shrugged again, smiling a little.

"Why do you wear it, anyway?" Beastboy asked.

Robin's smile slipped off his face. "Long story." He said shortly.

"I've got time. You can tell me."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay? It's no one's business but my own." He replied sharply.

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Beastboy replied "Okay, okay, forget I asked!" Turning to leave, he said, "You should sleep, Robin. You're not doing Rae any good by killing yourself."

The door clicked shut behind him.

As his footsteps trailed away, Robin was left standing in absolute silence. Beastboy was right. He had to sleep. For Raven. Perhaps that was the only thing that could get him to actually do it. Rae needed him, but not like this. She was always there for him, and now it was his turn to be there for her. He hoped she knew that she wasn't alone. He wished he could talk to her; tell her that he was going to find her soon. As soon as possible.

God, he missed her.

_End of Chapter_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Questions

_Well here's another chapter… hope you enjoy! Please tell me what you think; reviews please!_

_Thanks guys… you rock!_

_**Chapter 8: Questions**_

Raven stretched languorously, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She had slept surprisingly well – Slade had a nice bed. Suddenly she became aware of the arm slung over her waist. Twisting her head to look over her shoulder, she saw Slade stretched out, the blankets in a tangle around him. Obviously he was not a peaceful sleeper. She looked down at the arm almost possessively draped over her. And had no respect for personal boundaries. So that was why she'd been so warm; Slade was a cuddler.

Despite herself, Raven began to giggle. Then laugh. A cuddler! Slade! It's not something she would've imagined him as. As she laughed, her body jiggled, waking the object of her amusement. His head jerked up with a sleepy sound of confusion – this made Raven giggle more. "What on earth are you laughing about, woman?" he mumbled. He suddenly noticed where his arm was and almost sheepishly removed it. "Sorry 'bout that." Raven slumped over on the bed, laughing hard now. She wasn't quite sure what she was laughing at anymore, but it felt good. Like she was letting all the tension of the past couple of weeks out.

Slade began to climb out of bed, shaking his head. "Women." He mumbled with exasperation.

"Ah, Slade." Raven gasped. "I didn't know you could be so funny!"

"Me?" he sounded genuinely surprised. "What did I do?"

"I really don't know." Raven gasped for breath. "But thank you. That felt good."

Slade still seemed a bit bewildered, but clearing his throat he said, "Well, you're welcome, I guess. I'm going to get some breakfast now. Anything you specifically feel like?"

"I wouldn't mind something edible." She teased. She was in an abnormally good mood. Maybe this is what she was like without her powers….

"Well, that's not guaranteed. I never learnt how to cook."

"Why don't you let me come down and cook some scrambled eggs? It's the only thing I know how to cook, but it's bound to be better than yours."

Slade studied her for a moment, trying to see if there was an underlying intent. "Fine." He eventually said. "But don't try anything, okay? I've got my eye on you."

"Sure, sure." Raven climbed out of bed and pulled her boots on. "Is it okay if I go down in my pj's?" she laughed.

Slade, smiling under his mask, shrugged and said, "Sure. Not like there's anyone to see."

Raven chuckled as she walked towards him. When he made no move towards the door, she gestured to it saying, "Shall we?" He was such fun to tease.

He took her arm and led her out into the chilly corridor. Raven shivered. "You should consider putting under-floor-heating in this place."

Slade chortled. "Not going to happen."

They walked down a few flights of stairs and went through a big swinging door which led to the kitchen. Raven stopped in the entrance, staring at the huge room in awe. It had a high, cavernous ceiling and big windows, filling it with bright morning light. The kitchen was neat but still packed with every high-tech appliance she could think of. Through a door to the right was a large pantry full of food. The white marble countertops sparkled like they'd been freshly polished and the ebony cupboards complimented the room nicely. It was the most beautiful kitchen she'd ever seen.

She realised Slade was watching her, so she turned to him, eyes still wide and said, "Holy crap."

He laughed, like she knew he would, and said, "Well, it's all yours. Go ahead and dazzle me with your cooking skills."

"Hey, I'm probably not much better than you. The only thing I ever learnt to do was scramble an egg." She replied.

"Well, I have high hopes that it will be very good scrambled egg." Raven sighed and went further into the kitchen. While she scratched around for a pan, Slade seated himself behind the counter in the middle of the room so that he could watch her work easily. Resting his chin in his hand, he settled his eyes on her. She disappeared into the pantry and returned a moment later with two eggs in her hands. Once she'd located a bowl and a whisk, she cracked the eggs into the bowl and began to beat them.

"So," she said as she worked. "What was it like living in this beautiful house as a child?"

Slade felt his guard go up before she even finished the question. He wished he didn't have to be so guarded with her. Well, he could tell her some things… just not everything.

"I always loved the house. There are so many adventures for a child with no one to play with." Shit. That was a bit much.

"No one to play with?" she asked, sounding almost concerned.

"I was an only child."

"I see." She said. "And your parents? What were they like?"

"They were… I don't know, I guess they weren't the greatest parents."

"Why?" Slade seemed to be opening up a little, and Raven pushed her advantage, curious as she was about his life.

"They were pretty wrapped up in their own social-lives. I don't think I was part of their plan, if you know what I mean." Oh screw it, Slade thought. Why couldn't he tell her about his childhood? "To be honest, they were the only ones that were a part of their plan. They were pretty self-centred and didn't care about anyone else. I was only ever in their way. A thorn in their side, you might say."

Raven clucked her tongue sympathetically. "I can understand the feeling of being unwanted. My father… well, you know who my father is." Slade nodded, understanding.

"I guess your childhood was a lot worse than mine ever was. I was only ever lonely. I'm sure Trigon being your father would create bigger problems." He said. Raven gave a humourless chuckle.

"You could say that." Raven turned her back on him as she poured the beaten egg into the hot pan. "Anyway, what happened to your parents? Do you own this house now?"

"Yes. My parents died in a car crash. They were rushing to their latest party; I was at home as usual. My father was a little… tipsy. Anyway, they crashed head on into another car. They were killed instantly."

"I'm sorry." Raven said honestly. Slade waved his hand to allay her concern.

"It was a bit of a shock. I was fifteen at the time and I suddenly owned this house. They had left no will, so I was the only heir."

"That's quite a responsibility at that age. How long ago was it?" she asked as she turned to put the egg onto the plate she'd set out. "If you want to know my age, Raven, just ask." Raven flushed red. She looked up at him sheepishly. "Well… how old are you then?"

"Twenty–five. How old are you?"

Raven hesitated before saying "Eighteen."

Slade was surprised. "You seem older." He said softly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure I ever was young." She replied then gasped softly.

Had she said that out loud? Then Slade did something really unexpected. He reached across the counter and took her hand, squeezing it softly. Raven looked up at him, and saw an emotion in the one eye she could see that scared her. His hand felt nice around hers; warm and comforting. But she pulled hers out of his and said, "I… I think I'm going to go upstairs and read a bit. The eggs are yours." And she quickly turned and hurried towards the door. Before she reached it though, he called, "Raven…" She stopped and turned to look at him. "I just want you to know that I am giving you freedom of the house. No door will be locked to you except the ones leading outside."

Raven stared at him for a moment before nodding her thanks and hurrying from the room.

Left alone now, Slade dropped his head into his hands. What was he doing? And what was he going to do? She soothed him so; he felt so good around her – like a different person. How could he ever let her go?

_End of Chapter 8._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Exploring

_Sorry it took me so long to post this one! Hope you enjoy!_

_**Chapter 9: Exploring**_

Waking up the next morning, Raven found herself alone in bed. The covers were rumpled, so Slade must have slept beside her and left early. She slumped back on the pillows. What was she going to do today? There wasn't much to do besides read, sleep, eat, read… then she remembered. Slade had given her freedom of the huge mansion. Yes! Something exciting to do! She really did want to see more of this beautiful house. She would start exploring right now.

Her stomach rumbled. Perhaps a stop at the kitchen first.

Raven threw the covers off her and got up. Dressing quickly, she headed out and down to the kitchen. The house was quiet. As she entered the kitchen, she saw that it was deserted too. A lingering aroma of toast hung in the air, however, so she guessed Slade was somewhere around the house. Walking further in, she noticed a brown bag on the marble counter. Inside it was a huge loaf of freshly baked bread. It smelled delicious and it was still warm. Mouth watering, Raven cut herself a large slice and ate it just like that. As she chewed the delicious dough, she considered where this bread had come from. Surely Slade didn't bake it? No, it was in a brown bag, and that meant it was bought. So there must be a town near after all.

When she finished the piece she'd cut, she cut another one and smeared some butter on it which melted into the warm bread. A sound of pure pleasure rose in her throat as she sank her teeth in.

"Like it?" said Slade from the doorway.

Raven jumped and put a hand over heart as she turned to face him, frowning. "Jeez! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." He said, but she could hear his suppressed laugh.

"Oh go ahead. Laugh, you jackass." She said, starting to smile despite herself. Slade chuckled a little. "And yes. I do like the bread. You didn't bake it, I'm guessing?"

"No, it's from the village a few miles away. The bakery delivers it every so often."

"I see." Raven said as she took another bite.

It was too bad that Slade was her enemy. She kind of liked him; he would probably make a great friend. If he wasn't an enemy, of course. She wondered what had made him what he was - she sensed that there was a good person under it all. The relationship they shared at the moment was proof of that. He treated her with courtesy and never had he once tried to harm her. In fact, Raven felt at the moment like they were friends, though that could never be. He really was an enigma.

"Raven?" Slade seemed to ask tentatively.

Coming out of her reverie, she said "Yes?" He was now sitting opposite her at the counter.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure." She answered uncertainly.

"Are you in love with Robin?"

Raven's mouth dropped open. Well that was unexpected. She stared at him, speechless, for a moment.

"W-why would you ask something like that?"

Slade answered slowly, like he was weighing every word. "I noticed when I first brought you here, and I told you my plan… you said Robin didn't love you. I heard something in your voice… hurt, I think. So I thought that you must love him. Am I right?"

Raven was speechless again. Was she so transparent?

"I – I can't imagine why you would want to know this, Slade." Raven was avoiding his eyes, not wanting him to read the answer in her face.

"Would you tell me, though? Please, Raven." He asked softly.

Raven wasn't sure why, but she found herself answering. Truthfully. "I… I guess I do." Why was he bringing Robin up now? She'd been doing so well at not thinking about him. "But it's not returned, so I just have to get over it. You probably should have kidnapped Starfire, since they're the ones who are going out." Slade heard the dejection in her voice and felt, along with his sympathy, a stab of jealousy for her feelings towards Robin. Ridiculous. Why should he feel jealous? It's not as if she's his… love.

"Well, Robin's an idiot. How can he choose that airhead over Raven?"

He saw her head snap up and the surprise on her face. Shit. Did he say that out loud?

"What… did you say?" she asked softly.

"I… Robin's an idiot."

"Thank you. It was sweet of you." He knew she was referring to the bit he let slip. Slade nodded in acknowledgement. He was going to keep his mouth shut from now on.

They were both silent for a while, avoiding each others' eyes. Then Raven asked "Why did you want to know?"

Slade was caught off guard; he didn't even know the answer to that himself. "I was… curious, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yes. I'm not exactly sure myself why I cared so much about knowing."

"I see." Slade winced slightly under his mask; whenever she said 'I see' in that tone, he knew she did see something more than what was obvious.

After another awkward moment, Raven said, "Well, I'm going to go and explore the house a bit, ok?"

"Sure. Remember, there are security cameras around." He warned gently.

"No worries. I'm not going to try and escape. Not like there's much point." She answered as she walked out the door.

Raven was relieved to be alone. What was with him asking her that? She'd been trying so hard to keep herself from thinking of Robin. The last thing she needed was a reminder from Slade. As much as she seemed to enjoy his company, right now all she wanted to do was be left to her own devices.

She walked along the cool corridor until she reached a stairway. She went up instead of down into the darkness, like last time. Don't think about that, she thought sternly. At the top was a more brightly lit corridor; it had windows. Raven stepped closer to peer out. A smile softened her mouth as her eyes rested on the beautiful scene. The house was obviously high up because she was looking over the tops of the trees that surrounded the house. Beyond in the far distance, she could make out a village huddled in the middle of a small valley. The rolling hills were bathed in the early morning sun which was still low in the sky since it had just risen.

Turning around, Raven looked up and down the corridor. She wasn't sure she had an appetite for exploring anymore. She just felt like crawling into bed with a book – she was starting to feel a bit depressed. Once again, Robin was on her mind, no matter how hard she fought against it. Being honest with herself, she missed him. Even if he didn't love her, she still missed being around him, having his presence near. If only she could switch her mind on and off; no matter what she tried to steer her thoughts to, Robin always popped up. It was like a broken radio – even though you try to change the channel, it always stays on the same one. But deep down, Raven liked to think about him. Maybe that's why she couldn't change the topic of her thoughts. It was almost as if she could keep him close if she just thought about him. Raven pictured his spiky black hair, sensual lips, blank mask that hid the window to his soul – the window she longed to look into…

Shaking her head, Raven sternly stopped her thoughts. It would do her no good to long after him like a lost puppy. Here and now was all that mattered. Thinking of now, Raven was still trying to figure the enigmatic Slade out. The person she was coming to know was nothing like the cold villain that she had seen when the titans faced him. She couldn't believe that this man was the same she had seen then. They seemed to be two completely different people. But Raven liked the person she was getting to know now. Maybe she could get him to change his ways… she was sure that under it all was a good person.

While Raven had been thinking, she'd slowly meandered down the corridor. Now she found herself in a darker section with no windows. She looked around, getting her bearings. Ahead of her, she noticed a door that was slightly ajar. Her curiosity peaked, she walked forward and pushed it wide. Standing on the threshold, Raven saw a dimly lit room with a large TV screen against the back wall surrounded by smaller screens. "What…?" she frowned as she took another step in. The she gasped, her hand jumping to her mouth. "No… No way!"

_End of Chapter_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: True Feelings

_I just couldn't leave you hanging for too long…__So enjoy the next chappie!_

_**Chapter 10: True Feelings**_

Raven was stunned. All this time… Slade had been doing this? She unconsciously moved forward, looking intently at the many monitors. Security cameras! In Titans Tower! And to think she had been starting to see Slade as a friend! _Damn him! _But Raven couldn't figure out why she was feeling betrayed. What should she have expected of Slade? He was her enemy after all, and she shouldn't have forgotten that. It was all an act; Slade was still the villain she had always known him to be and the Slade she had been seeing now wasn't really him. But damn he pretended well!

Raven's eyes roamed over the monitors. On one, Starfire was working in the kitchen, probably making some disgusting mustard concoction. Another showed Cyborg and Beastboy in the sitting room; Cy was working on the huge computer while Beastboy was looking through a stack of papers. But where was Robin? Raven scanned the rest of the monitors; there was one for each room. Raven's eyes stopped at the screen showing Robin's bedroom. It was empty. She had never really seen much of Robin's room, but from what she'd seen, she knew it was always neat and organised. But at the moment it was in total disarray. The bed wasn't made, papers lay strewn all over the floor and bed, cupboards were hanging open and clothes were carelessly dropped on the floor. Robin certainly wasn't himself.

Just then, Robin entered the frame. He was pacing, his fingers of one hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully, the other holding the piece of paper he was looking at. Reaching the one end of the room, he turned to pace the other way which turned him so that he was facing the camera Raven was watching him on. He stopped pacing and was frowning now. Raven's eyes raked him hungrily. She missed just seeing him. He didn't look as bad as his room did though. He was a little dishevelled; his hair was messier than usual and his clothes were a bit wrinkled, but other than that, he looked normal.

Suddenly, Robin threw the paper away from him in frustration. It landed softly among the others on his floor and Raven guessed that that was how the rest had got there. Robin's hand went to his eyes and grasped the bridge of his nose. Then – he did it so unexpectedly that she didn't register what she was seeing for a moment – he took his mask off. Raven held her breath as he rubbed his closed eyelids in tiredness. Then he took his hand away and opened his eyes. A jolt went right through her heart; green. He had bright green eyes. Raven looked at his whole face – they were perfect. She had imagined him with blue eyes, brown, hazel, green; but this green suited him perfectly. His face was complete – and he looked twice as handsome.

Once the shock of seeing his eyes started to wear off, Raven began to notice other things. Like the fact that his eyes were extremely bloodshot and under them were dark rings. Without his mask, she could see how exhausted he was. So – he was just hiding his strain behind his mask. Raven felt a great pain in her heart for him. Why did he always have to be so strong? It was no doubt adding to his strain having to keep up a façade of strength. She desperately wished she could go to him and wrap her arms around him. She felt like she needed it as much as he did.

Robin slumped on his bed, lying on his back – and Raven wanted to curl up in the crook of his arm. She looked at his beautiful eyes and she wanted them to fall on her and look at her with the love she felt back for him. She wanted to see love in his eyes so much it hurt. And she knew then that it was pointless to try not to think of him. She loved him regardless of how he felt in return. And she could no longer delude herself into thinking that she could forget about it all.

"Raven…" she whirled around at the sound of Slade's voice. Her tender thoughts vanished as she looked upon the man who was causing Robin this pain. It was Slade's fault that Robin was in this state.

"You – you bastard!" she hissed furiously.

"Now Raven, please understand…" he said gently.

"Don't give me that shit! You're – you're – damn you, you are the most disgusting human being I've ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on!" she nearly shouted. "How dare you act so normally around me, like – like a good person – when you're sitting here watching my friends' pain?!" They both knew who she meant when she said 'friends'. "Does it give you pleasure to see what you've caused? DOES IT?!"

"Raven, I'm sorry you saw this. It's not how you think…"

"Like hell it isn't! Damn you – if I had my powers you'd be unconscious already! I could just – argh! I hate you! I can't believe I fell for your little good-goody charade!" with that, she ran past him and back to the bedroom. Slade didn't try to stop her.

Once there, she paced around furiously, shaking with anger. Her roiling emotions scared her; she was getting too used to not having her powers to control and therefore her emotions. But where Robin was concerned, her feelings were not rational. To think that the titans were right there all along when she'd been longing just to see them again! Robin had been right under her nose. She was still in shock after her wish to see Robin's true face had so suddenly come true. Her emotions were all over the place – from anger to love to pain to sadness to longing and back to anger. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if that little metal bracelet around her wrist wasn't there to neutralise her powers.

"Raven…" came Slade's tentative voice from the doorway.

"I wouldn't try and talk to me right now if I were you." She said without turning around.

"Raven, you have to listen to me. I know you're upset, but you have to understand that it was necessary to keep an eye on them…"

"I don't 'have to' anything! Just do us both a favour and leave me alone!"

When she heard no movement from the doorway, she hissed warningly "I mean it, Slade."

"Please don't do this Raven. We've been getting along so well…"

"Why should that matter to you? I'm your enemy, your captive, and it was my mistake to forget that. I should have seen you for who you really are."

"But it doesn't have to be that way!" he said in a strangled voice.

Raven slowly turned around to look at him. "What do you mean?" she said slowly.

He seemed to teeter on the edge of indecision. Then, he suddenly came forward and stopped very close to her. This she didn't like; she had to tilt her head back to look into his masked face.

"I… I… oh for God's sake, I'm in love with you Raven." He blurted. His huge hands were now gripping her upper arms, as if he was willing her to understand.

Raven was completely stunned. Well she certainly hadn't expected that. She just stared up at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open a little in her shock.

"Please Raven, please understand. I don't want to do anything to hurt you. You do understand that, right?"

She nodded dumbly. For a moment, they stared at each other in silence. Then with a barely audible groan, Slade pulled her into his arms and held her. "I… I just want to hold you for a moment, ok?" he nearly whispered.

As they stood there, in the middle of the bedroom, his arms wrapped around her like he'd never let go, Raven, her emotions now churning more than ever, thought "What have I got myself into?"

_End of Chapter 10_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Unmasked

_Sorry this one took so long! Was writing exams for a few weeks… Anyway, enjoy!_

_**Chapter 11: **__**Questions**_

Raven wasn't sure how long they stood in each others' arms. After a while, she came out of her dumb state of shock and said softly, "Slade…?"

He slowly pulled back from her, but his hands did not release her arms. "Raven, I… I want you to know that I've never had these kinds of feelings before. I don't know how to control them… and I'm not used to not being in control." His hands slid down her arms until he just held her hands loosely in his.

"I don't… know what to say." Raven said.

"You don't have to say anything. You love Robin, not me. I don't expect you to return my feelings; I just wish that we didn't have to be enemies." He sighed heavily. "To be honest, I just feel relieved to have said it out loud." Giving her hands one last squeeze, he let them fall to her sides.

They stood in silence for a while, Raven lost in thought. She realised that she understood why Slade had surveillance on her friends; it had just been a shock to her senses to see Robin so unravelled. Slade had to keep tabs on the titans' progress.

"Slade… I would like it if we could be friends."

He nodded. "So would I."

"Ok… let's talk." Raven said and sat cross-legged on the window seat. Slade sat on the edge of the bed, not far from her. "I think it's time some questions are answered." She said.

"Ok. What do you want to know?"

"Hmm…" she had so many questions she wanted to ask. "Do you have a real name, or is your name really Slade?"

He seemed surprised by this question. "Well… Slade is actually my second name. My full name is Garret Slade."

Now Raven was surprised. She hadn't expected him to have a normal name somehow. It was too… ordinary. Not villain-like at all. "Oh." Was all she said. After a minute, she opened her mouth again, "So what - ?"

"Hang on a moment." Slade interrupted. "Did you think that you get to ask all the questions? One for one, I think."

"Ok, fine. Ask away." Raven said.

"Why did you join the teen titans?"

Raven was taken aback at his directness. "It's… complicated." When she didn't say more, Slade gestured that she should elaborate. Rolling her eyes at his persistence, she said, "They were nice to me. I was something of an outcast and they befriended me. I guess I also subconsciously wanted to defy my evil side; you know, my demon father."

Slade nodded. "Thank you for your honesty." He said sincerely.

Raven shrugged. "Ok, my turn. You kidnapped me to get to Robin. Why do you want to hurt him so badly?"

Slade considered her for a moment before answering. "He is my enemy." He shrugged. "We cannot both occupy the same area. It's him or me, and frankly, I choose me."

"But it doesn't have to be like that. Why do you hate him anyway?"

"He has got in the way of my plans one too many times. He's like a mosquito, always buzzing in the corner of my vision." He shrugged again. "He is not quite strong enough to defeat me but not quite weak enough to be defeated easily. But now I've found the way to defeat him." He looked at her pointedly.

Raven hugged herself, trying to ignore the cold, unemotional tone of his voice. "But…"

"You've had two questions now." He interrupted. "My turn. Why do you love Robin? I mean, what about him made you fall in love with him?"

"He… he and I just click." Raven said, finding it hard to describe their relationship. "We understand each other, and even though we're two very different people, I just always feel right next to him. Like we fit. He has a good heart, and all he really wants to do is help people, and I admire that in him. He doesn't realise it, but he's teaching me everyday to be a person; I wasn't half the person I am now when I met Robin." She looked up at Slade. "Do you know what I'm trying to say?"

Slade nodded soberly. "I can hear your feelings in your voice."

They were both quiet for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

"Enough of this." Slade said suddenly. "I think you've been cooped up too long. Why don't we go and have lunch in the garden?"

Raven was relieved to hear that his voice sounded much more alive than it had a moment ago. Smiling, she replied. "Sure, ok."

They both went down to the kitchen and had some fun throwing a huge amount of food into a basket, enough to feed at least five people, not two. As they walked down the many flights of stairs and into the bright sunshine outside, Raven was thinking. They may have come to a truce, but what about later? What about when the titans found her? Or when she went back to them? She couldn't stay here much longer, knowing what Robin was going through. Would Slade let her go if she asked? She wouldn't know unless she tried.

Right now, though, she thought, she was going to relax. For the moment, they could pretend that they were just two friends enjoying each other's company. Tomorrow, she would bring up more serious matters. They would take this day, just this one, to not be enemies.

They spent the rest of the day lounging under a tree, talking and laughing until the sun started to sink. Raven's heart sank with the sun; she went to bed dreading the next day when she would have to shatter the peace they'd experienced that day. It had to be done; she had to get back to Robin.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Decisions

_Thanks for reading! For the question about why I changed Slade's name, I just didn't think that Slade Wilson suited him… so I made my own name! No particular reason other than that. Thanks for all the reviews!_

_**Chapter 12: The Last Day**_

Raven woke up the next morning feeling like she had hardly slept at all. Yawning, she looked down at herself and saw Slade's arm slung over her waist once again. Sighing, she looked over her shoulder at him. He lay sprawled out on his stomach, his arm carelessly draped over her. Turning her body slowly so not to wake him, she moved onto her back so that she could look at him.

It must be awfully uncomfortable to sleep with that mask on, she thought. Not for the first time, she felt a strong pull of curiosity for what was under it. She would love to see his face – she wanted to know if it spoke of the person he was. Would it be a harsh, mean face? Or a kind, caring face? If only he would take it off; just once before she had to leave. Maybe she would ask him… it was unlikely that he would oblige, but it was worth a try.

Carefully, she started to slide out from under his arm. When she was free, she pulled on the soft, dark purple dressing gown he had provided for her and walked softly over to the window. Leaning her back against the wall of the window seat, she curled her legs under her and looked out over the trees. Beyond them, she could she the sun rising out from behind the hills in the distance. It was a beautiful scene; the landscape was bathed in soft golden light and the sky was a beautiful array of colours – pale blue, purple, pink, orange and golden yellow.

Raven sighed a sigh of mixed emotions. She felt calm and peaceful at that moment, but also a bit sad; today she would have to shatter this peace they were both feeling. She wished she didn't have to make the decision. If only Slade would just volunteer to take her back home and decide for her. But there really was no decision – she had to get back to the titans. She couldn't stay here any longer.

"Good morning." Slade said from the bed. Raven turned to look at him; he was sitting up, head cocked to one side, watching her. "Morning." She said and hitched a smile onto her face.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Why so sad?" he asked.

Raven shrugged. "I was just thinking." She answered vaguely. "So, what are we doing today?" she said brightly. She had decided that today was going to be their best day. She would turn to more serious matters that evening; for now, they were going to enjoy themselves.

Slade shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, something fun." Raven said, smiling. "You know this place better than I do; what is there to do?"

Slade thought for a moment. "You've only seen a fraction of the grounds. I could give you a tour?"

"Good idea! I would love to see the gardens."

"Can you ride a horse?" he asked.

"Um… I've never tried, but I'm a fast learner." She said tentatively.

"Great. I'll go and get you some riding clothes and we'll go."

An hour or so later, after a quick breakfast, Raven stood in the stables - dressed in tan jodhpurs, kidskin riding boots and a white shirt. She felt strange; it had been a long time since she'd worn clothes other than her teen titans gear. Slade appeared, dressed similarly to her, leading a medium sized chestnut horse. "She's for you." He said, handing her the reins. "Just wait a moment while I get mine." He disappeared again and Raven was left standing beside the mare. "Hello." She said softly and hesitantly stroked her nose. It was silky soft beneath her hand. The mare seemed to enjoy it, closing her eyes and snorting softly. Raven was taken aback at how beautiful the horse was. All her hesitation melted away and she now felt excited to ride her. She seemed to be of gentle nature, and Raven was no longer afraid of being bucked off.

Slade returned, leading a large, black stallion. Funnily enough, it suited him. But as they came closer, Raven was shocked at how big the horse was. Suddenly, she felt very small standing next to the huge, beautiful beast. She looked at Slade, who was watching her, and said "Holy crap." Slade chuckled.

Once he had helped her up onto her mount, Slade effortlessly swung up into the saddle. "Okay, we'll take it slow. Just stay next to me." Following his instructions, Raven tapped her heels against the horse's flanks and she began to walk. "Hold the reins like this," Slade said, showing her. "And try to relax. She's a good horse, she won't hurt you."

They walked along a bit, Slade pointing out landmarks and giving her riding instructions every now and then. After a while, when Slade had finished talking, Raven asked "Hey, would you rather be called Slade or Garret?" It was something she'd been wondering ever since he'd told her his full name.

"I… I don't really know. No one's called me by my first name for so long; everyone calls me Slade."

"Well then, I'll call you Garret."

"Okay."

After a while, he turned to her again. "Are you tired of walking? Want to try and trot?"

"Okay, Garret." She said, testing the name out.

Before they started, he explained how to trot, as it was quite different from walking. Once he was sure she understood, they started off. Raven felt unsure and was jostled about a bit at first, but she soon found a rhythm. She looked over to Garret, and smiled radiantly. "I'm doing it!" she said triumphantly.

"Yes, you are!" he laughed.

"Let's go faster!" she said. She felt like a kid again.

"Okay. Hold on with your legs and concentrate on what you're doing. Now squeeze her with your heels."

She did, and they pranced forward. Raven felt unbalanced at first, but righted herself and tightened her legs around the horse. She laughed as the wind whipped her hair back; she raised her face to feel it better.

Soon, they reached a lake; it looked extremely inviting to the horses it seemed, as they headed straight for it and splashed into the cold water. Raven shrieked as water was showered over her and laughed as the same happened to Garret. "What are you laughing at?" he shouted playfully, and reached down into the water and splashed her some more. She shrieked again and did the same to him. It continued until they were both completely soaked. Raven was clutching her side from laughter when they were finally finished splashing each other.

They spent the rest of the day riding all over the grounds, racing each other (he always won being the more experienced rider) and laughing and joking the whole time. They only stopped for a brief lunch before continuing the ride. As the afternoon wore on, they headed back to the stable. Windblown and dishevelled, Raven climbed down from her mount, legs extremely stiff. She pulled her fingers through her hair and they caught on many knots. But despite her discomfort, she had never felt more relaxed. She had just had the most fun she'd had in – well, the most fun she'd ever had. It was a heady feeling; not for the first time, she wondered if this was how she would be without her powers to control.

Once he'd put the horses away, Garret took her hand and led her back up to the house. As they ascended the stairs, Raven's heart sank. Time to get back to reality. When they were back in the bedroom, he went over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a hairbrush. "Here you go." He said and gave it to her.

"Thanks." She sat down on the window seat and brushed her tangled hair absentmindedly. Garret sat beside her; he had noticed her change of mood as they'd entered the room. When she'd finished with her hair, she set the brush aside and looked at him sadly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Garret, I… need to ask you something."

He watched her face intently. "Okay." He said hesitantly.

"First, I just want to thank you. For everything, especially today. I had the most wonderful time, and that's why I'm so dreading asking you this question."

Garret had a good idea what she was going to ask.

"Garret, I need you to take me home now. Would you, please?" she said softly.

He let out his breath in a rush. Turning his head away from her, he closed his eyes under the mask. He wasn't ready…

"I was also hoping… I know that once I leave, we will never have time together like we do now. We will be enemies again. So I was wondering… would you take your mask off? I would like to see your face before I leave. I want to know your face. Your real face." She looked up at him, pleadingly. "You must know that I'll never use the knowledge against you."

He still was not looking at her. They were both silent while he thought hard about her request. He wanted to show her his face, but… could he?

Finally, he raised his head and looked at her. Then he slowly reached behind his head and began to undo the bonds, never breaking eye contact…

_End of Chapter 12_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Unmasked

_I was told I should have a disclaimer, so: Teen Titans is licensed to DC Comics; I have no claim to these characters. __There we go! Enjoy the next Chappie___

_**Chapter 13: Unmasked**_

Raven held her breath. She hadn't expected him to actually do it! She watched as he slowly worked the bonds loose behind his head; she could feel his intense gaze on her face. Finally, he brought his hands to his face and put them against the mask, as if he was going to pull it off. But he hesitated; his broad shoulders lifted as he inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled.

He did it so quickly that Raven didn't register that the mask was gone for the first few moments. He reached up to ruffle his hair – it was black. He lowered his hand and looked intensely at her as she began to take in the details of his face. What she saw left her speechless.

His black hair was short and a little flat from being under the mask. His eyes – locked on her face – were a bright, steely blue. His dark brows that framed them were harsh, but not menacing. He had a strong, square-ish jaw line and prominent cheekbones, and his mouth was wide, his lips full. The last thing she noticed was a long, white scar, running from his temple to his jaw. His face altogether was extremely handsome, despite the scar; it spoke of strength and ruthlessness, but Raven could also see gentleness lurking in his eyes.

Raven didn't know what she'd expected; in fact, she hadn't had any expectations. But his face seemed to summarize everything she knew him to be. The one thing that had taken her aback however, was his attractiveness. She hadn't exactly expected him to be ugly, but not quite so good looking. It was unnerving to have his deep eyes fastened on her; she'd felt his gaze before, but not like this. Seeing him now for who he was changed everything between them. She would never see him as Slade again. He was Garret, a man that she felt a strong connection with - her friend, and never again would she see him as her enemy.

Garret was beginning to fear that he'd done the wrong thing by showing her. She was silent, scrutinising every aspect of his face. It felt strange to have someone looking at him so; he was the only person who'd seen his face for ten years. What was she thinking? Was she disappointed? Had she expected something more? If only she would speak and put him out of his misery!

Finally, her eyes came to rest on his, and she spoke. "I want you to know," she said slowly, "that you will never be my enemy. I have to go back, but I will never fight against you. They won't understand, but I will never betray the trust you have put in me, and I hope that we can always be some form of friends."

He nodded. "Yes. I understand."

Raven almost lost her composure then. Without the mask, his voice no longer had the metallic quality to it. It was deep and melodious. It was a beautiful voice – strong and gentle.

"What is it?" he must have noticed a change in her expression.

"Your… your voice – it sounds different. Without the mask."

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Raven looked down to her hands in her lap, steeling herself for what she had to ask. "Garret, can I assume that by taking your mask off you're agreeing to take me home?"

He sighed. "Yes." He said softly.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Raven stood up. "Please. Could we go now?" her voice was soft and sad.

Garret stood up slowly. "Yes." He said again. He came to stand in front of her, close. As he came near, she raised her head and looked at him. "Garret," she said quietly, "I just… I want you to know… thank you. For showing me your face. And I think you deserve my opinion." She swallowed, but did not break eye contact. "You are one of the most handsome men I have ever seen."

Garret was momentarily stunned. Then, slowly, he lifted his hands and pulled her into his arms. After only a moments' hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist in response. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear. "You have brightened up my life in the past couple of months, and I will never forget our time together." He squeezed her tighter. Then, suddenly, he became more aware of her female form pressed against his. He stroked his hand up her back, feeling her involuntary shiver, and brought it up to the back of her head. Then he tipped her head back and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to kiss you, Raven. Just this once." And he lowered his head to hers.

Their lips touched and Raven gasped softly. He brushed his against hers gently at first, then a bit more forcefully. He parted her lips with his tongue and her arms slid from his waist up, to wind around his neck. He pressed her closer and squeezed her tighter as he gently explored her mouth, not getting enough of her. She responded, and raised herself onto her toes, pressing closer. He felt her sigh with pleasure, and he caressed the smooth planes of her back tenderly. He deepened the kiss, hands roving her back, tickling her spine. Oh, how long he'd wanted to do this.

He moved his mouth to her neck, and explored that smooth column of flesh for a while. She turned her head to the side to accommodate him, gasping softly when his tongue touched her skin. His one hand glided from her back to her hip, then up to her waist, and up further until…

"Garret!" Raven jumped back from him. "Stop. We have to stop."

He shoved his fingers into his hair, angry with himself for getting carried away. "I'm sorry, Raven. Please forgive my lack of control. It always seems to abandon me when I'm around you."

"No, don't apologise, I got carried away too." She said.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other.

"I think it's time I went home now." Raven eventually said.

"Yes." He replied. "You can keep the clothes I have given you. As a reminder of what we've shared."

"Thank you. I think I might just take up horse riding."

Garret smiled and nodded. Then an idea struck him. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we meet here on the last day of each month to go horse riding?"

A slow smile spread across Raven's face. "What a great idea!" she said enthusiastically. "It would be just like it has been; time to pretend we're not on different sides and just be friends. It's perfect!"

"Then it's settled. The last day of every month." He smiled, happy now that they had a firm plan to see each other somewhere other than across the battlefield.

He held out his hand for her. I'll take you back to the titans now." As she took his hand, he looked into her eyes again and said, "I'll miss you."

She looked up at him, sadness in her eyes and whispered, "I'll miss you too."

_End of Chapter_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Home Again

_Sorry about the really long delay! My computer's been down with a virus so I couldn't access anything!_

_Anyway, enjoy the next chappie!_

_**Chapter 14: Home Again**_

Robin drummed his fingers on the table as he waited impatiently for a page to load on the computer. "Come on," he muttered. The tower was quiet; the others had gone out to look for more clues about Raven's whereabouts, but none of them were very sure they'd find anything. They hadn't found anything before, after all. They were all beginning to wonder, though they never said it out loud, if they'd ever find Raven.

Giving up on watching the computer, Robin started to pace. He was highly restless these days; he was getting nowhere in the investigation, and every moment wasted he felt was bad for Raven. Who knows what kind of trouble she was in? She'd been gone for two and a half months now, and for all he knew, she was lying dead somewhere while he couldn't even figure out where she was!

Don't think like that, he scolded himself. She wasn't dead, she couldn't be dead. She was too strong to die. Damn it, if only there was more he could do. He felt so helpless, so frustrated because of his helplessness and even more frustrated with himself for being frustrated. If only he could find something, anything that would break a tiny whole in the wall of what he didn't know. But there was nothing.

He stopped pacing and looked at the computer, leaning down on his hands. It read, 'Error while loading page'. Robin swore. "I don't have time for this!" he said furiously. He closed the page and stood up straight again, massaging his temples. He stood there quietly for a while, eyes closed. "Where are you, Rae?" he whispered.

Behind him, he vaguely heard the door to the living room slide open. Were they back so soon? He didn't bother to turn around, knowing what they'd say. Nothing. He continued massaging his temples, waiting for Cyborg or Starfire to speak up. But he heard a different voice.

"Robin." She almost whispered. But he heard.

He stiffened, unmoving. Then, slowly, he turned around, not believing she'd really be standing there. She was, and with tears running down her face. "Raven!" he gasped. He ran over to her and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tightly. "My god, Rae! I've missed you!" She began to sob softly into his shoulder, her arms clawing their way around him. "Rae? What's wrong? What happened to you?" She just shook her head, pressing closer, her sobs starting to wrench her body and his heart. "It's okay, it's okay," he whispered, stroking her hair. "You're home now. You're home again." She just cried harder.

He pulled her over to the couch and sat down, still cradling her. He waited, stroking her back, her hair, her face, until her cries began to subside.

"Please, Rae. Tell me what's wrong before I go crazy."

She sat up, her hand and his laced together. Wiping her face, she said softly, "I can't."

"You can't?" he repeated. She shook her head.

"Can you tell me where you've been all this time?" She shook her head again.

"Robin, I missed you too." She said. He stared at her.

"Rae, you've been missing for two and a half months. I've been worried sick! Can't you tell me anything?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm back now and it's all in the past. Please," she said as he opened his mouth to speak. "Please just trust me and don't go there."

They stared at each other for a while, neither speaking. "Robin," she whispered. "Can you do something for me?"

"Yes," he said.

"Soon I'll have all my powers back and I'll have to control my emotions again. So, please… would… you kiss me?" she said hesitantly.

Robin stared at her. She was afraid that he'd refuse; he could see it in her eyes. Fear of rejection mingled with a slight recklessness roiled in their violet depths. Well, it wasn't as if he'd never dreamed of kissing her… they'd talk about her not having her powers later.

He leaned forward, putting a hand at the nape of her neck to draw her towards him. He touched his lips to hers, and she sighed. He brushed his against hers, waiting for her to open her mouth. He traced her bottom lip with his warm tongue, teasing her, and she gasped, her mouth opening. He deepened the kiss, no longer teasing. He was starting to feel more than just enjoyment… he'd wanted to do this for a long time, he realised. Why had he tried to convince himself that he didn't feel this way about her?

Her hand came to cup his cheek, the other stroking the hair at his nape. "Robin," she murmured. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss further. Pushing his fingers into her hair, he cupped her head. He broke their lips apart and she looked up at him with eyes darkened with desire. His arm wrapped around her, he guided her back until she was lying down, never breaking eye contact. He leaned over her, bracing his elbows on either side of her head. She reached up and dragged his head down, pulling him into another mind-numbing kiss. His hands began to rove her body; up her flat stomach, over her breasts, up to her face again.

He stopped, pulled back and looked down at her. "Rae, will you come to my room with me?" she smiled sensuously, and nodded. He stood up and held out his hand. They fairly flew to his room, him stopping her every now and then to kiss her. Once there, they stood in front of the bed and looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Everything will be different afterwards."

She nodded slowly. "I know."

He nodded, reaching for her again.

"Wait." She whispered.

He stopped. She looked searchingly up at him, then stepped closer. She reached up to remove his mask.

Instinctively, he caught her wrists, saying "What are you doing?"

"Please, Robin. I want to look at you. You."

He hesitated. He wanted to show her, to share his identity with her, but…

"Trust me, Robin."

He looked into her violet eyes, and nodded. In one smooth motion, he swept it off and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her up against him. And she looked into his true eyes.

_End of Chapter_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Betrayal

_Enjoy the next chappie! Reviews welcome!_

_**Chapter 15: Bonded**_

Their lips touched again, setting off the spark once more. Forgetting all else, they began to lose themselves in each other. Robin gently laid Raven on his bed and leaned over her, staring at her without the constraint of his mask. She was so beautiful, in an unassuming, quiet way. All he wanted to do right then was touch her, feel her, understand her. All of her. He stroked her silky hair and then her soft cheek. "Raven," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers again.

As his lips slid from her mouth, to her jaw, to her neck, Raven thought to herself. This was just as she'd imagined it; all she'd ever wanted was for someone – him – to treat her like she was something special. Just once. And his hands on her body, her face, her hair, were gentle. Tender. Yet she could feel his passion building; she felt a connection to him, like she experienced his every emotion with him. This would not only be a joining of their bodies. There was a bond between them, she knew it. And this was just the beginning.

She gasped as his tongue slid out to run along the slim column of her neck. "Robin," she breathed, her hands snaking up his arms and around his neck. He chuckled softly. "Should I do that again?" he murmured.

"Robin…"

His tongue darted out again, but this time he sucked on her neck, making her gasp again. "And how about up here?" He moved up to her ear, his tongue slipping behind it. Then he moved a little lower, taking her whole lobe into his mouth, sucking gently. Raven groaned. Robin chuckled.

"Enough." Raven pushed him off her and sat up. Then she pulled him towards her by the hem of his shirt. "Lift your arms." He did, and she pulled it over his head. Then, placing a hand in the middle of his chest, she pushed him down onto the bed. For a moment, she admired his bare, well-muscled torso. His arms were thick and corded with muscle; his abdomen was firm and taut, the ripples gently outlining a six pack. She sighed with admiration. Having looked her fill, she leaned over him, bringing her lips close to his, but not touching. She felt his breath tickle her cheek, exciting her. She looked boldly into his eyes and, never breaking eye contact, lowered her head to kiss his chest. She let her tongue dart out, like his had, and she ran it slowly all the way down his abdomen, right down to the top of his pants. She started to repeat this in the other direction, but Robin groaned and pulled her up to him. He kissed her with unchecked passion now, and she revelled in it.

It had now grown dark outside, though they had not noticed being fully focused on one another. And nothing diverted their attention as they moved together in the darkness, connected to each other in more ways than one. When it was over and their passion was spent, they laid together for a while, arms wrapped around each other, Raven's head resting on his shoulder. His hand slid softly up and down her arm in a tender caress. She sighed in contentment. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him, smiling sensuously. He smiled back, his hand never stopping its unconscious movement on her arm.

Neither really knew what to say, or wanted to say anything that would spoil the moment; everything was different now. The rest of the team would be home soon, and they would have to be told the new relationship he and Rae had.

After a while, Robin said, "So, what happens now?"

Raising herself on an elbow, Raven looked at him searchingly. "You tell me."

He stroked her cheek thoughtfully. "Well, we'll have to tell the rest of the team that we're… more than friends. They have to know. Ah, Starfire will have a fit." He said the last part almost to himself.

Raven froze. He caught her expression and frowned. "What's the matter?"

She stared at him, not believing that he could do this with her if he was with Starfire. "You – and – Starfire -?" she gasped out. Panic rose up in her throat, choking her. Surely not, surely he wouldn't! She saw when he understood what she meant; his face cleared, he shook his head.

"Oh, no, Rae, she thinks we're going out, no matter how much I tell her that we're not. All I said is that we could go to a movie sometime! I meant all of us, not just her and me." He sounded exasperated.

The panic in her throat suddenly stopped, then sank back down. She swallowed. "You're… you're kidding, right?"

She said softly. "That's really quite funny. Did you know, the day I went missing, Star came into my room and told me that you had asked her out. I freaked because I knew that I was falling in love with you. So I left; I sat by the lake for hours, meditating. As I was about to leave, Sl- someone…" she trailed off, not wanting to give anything away.

"Yes?" he urged. "Someone grabbed you?"

"You know, I can't really remember." She said. "But isn't it funny that I left because of that? It all could have been avoided." She lapsed into thoughtful silence.

After a while, she looked up at him. "Robin," she murmured. "Thank you for showing me your eyes. Your real eyes."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, you didn't seem very surprised to see my eyes. Did you expect them to be green, or something? I could've sworn you'd seen me without it before."

"Well, actually…" Raven's voice stopped in her throat. Coldness swept up over her. The colour drained from her face as she sat up slowly, Robin's arm that had been curled around her falling away. "Raven? Are you alright?"

No. She wasn't. How could she have forgotten? She looked fearfully up to the corner of the room she had once looked from on a computer screen. And there it was; a tiny little camera, one you wouldn't see unless you were looking for it. "Oh God." She moaned. "No!"

"Rae? What's wrong?" she felt Robin's hand on her back.

Had he been watching? Had he seen what they'd done in this bed? Cold dread rose up over her, swallowing her.

If God had any mercy…

"Oh Robin, I am a fool." She whispered, her head bowed.

_End of Chapter_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Back to Reality

_Sorry for the delay! My internet was down again, so couldn't get online! Enjoy the next chappie!_

_**Chapter 16: Back to Reality**_

By the time the rest of the team got home, Robin and Raven were dressed and sitting in the living room. Everything seemed to be back to normal between them, except for the fact that they both sat much closer to each other than before. There was also an intangible link between them; they were like two parts of one whole. Their connection emanated from them like an aura.

Raven looked at Robin, his mask the only thing that truly seemed to separate them, as the titan's came closer to walking through the door. In a few seconds, their solitude would be broken. Robin reached out and took her hand, telling her silently that it would all turn out fine. Then, they all piled into the room and Raven turned to smile at them. They froze in shock for a moment before surging forward again with whoops and shouts of surprise and happiness.

"RAVEN!" they all cried at once, running across the space between them. Cyborg, reaching her first, picked her up from where she sat and gave her a huge bear hug. "Where have you been?" he exclaimed.

"I… it's hard to explain!" Raven gasped as his huge arms squeezed the breath from her lungs. He set her down again, grinning. "It's so good to know that you're safe!"

She smiled back, touched by his genuine happiness.

"Raven, we were so worried! How did you just turn up after all this time?" said Beastboy, peering around Cy's bulk.

"I asked… well… it was time to come home." She answered evasively.

"But where did you go? What happened to you, friend Raven?" asked Starfire.

"Look, I know this will be hard for you to understand, but I can't tell you. I can't and I won't. So please just accept that I'm back now, and we can just forget about it, ok?" she said firmly.

They all stared at her in silence. "Forget about it?" said Cyborg incredulously after a moment. "But, Rae, you were gone for two and a half months! How do you expect us to forget about it? We've all been worried sick! Robin hasn't had a good nights' sleep since you've been gone! Don't we deserve at least some questions answered?"

Raven sighed. "I guess you do." She said quietly. "Okay, all I can tell you is… well, put it this way; I was taken away against my will…"

"You mean you were kidnapped." Beastboy interrupted.

"Yes. But I was well treated and I didn't even have to escape; he let me come home."

"He?" Robin spoke for the first time since the titans arrived. "And who exactly is 'he'?"

"Robin," she said softly, "You already know that I can't tell you that." He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But _why_ were you kidnapped?" Beast Boy demanded.

"I'm sorry, but please don't ask me to say anymore. I'm home safe and sound and it's in the past now. I'm no worse for wear." She said, holding up her arms to indicate that she was unscathed.

"What is that around your wrist?" Starfire asked.

Raven's hand shot to cover the metal band that neutralised her powers. "It's… it's nothing, just a bracelet."

They all fell into silence, no one knowing what to say.

"Well, since we're all gathered, I might as well tell you our news." Robin said after a moment. He took a step forward and slid his hand into Raven's. "Raven and I, from now on are… more than friends. We are a couple."

For a moment, they just stared at the both of them holding hands. Starfire's mouth fell open in shock. But, once Cy and Beastboy recovered, they started to grin. "Well, it's about time." Cy said, smiling hugely. "I always knew there was something between you two." He slapped Robin heartily on the back.

"Yeah, I was waiting for this to happen." Seconded Beastboy.

"No you didn't! You should have seen your face!" Cy laughed. "You were like -!" he did a crude imitation of Beastboy's look of utter astonishment. "You were 'waiting for this to happen' my ass!"

"Shut up!" Cy continued to laugh as Beastboy went red in the face.

Robin and Raven looked at each other with relief as the two guys carried on bickering good-naturedly. Robin slipped an arm around her slim waist and she leant against him, smiling softly up at him.

"NO!"

The room went abruptly silent as Starfire screamed. Her eyes hadn't left the two lovers from the moment they had announced themselves as such. But now, it was not shock that coloured her face, but black fury. Her hands were clenched and shaking, her eyes glowing green in her red face which was contorted into a mask of rage. She took a step toward the embracing couple. Instinctively, Robin's arm tightened protectively around Raven.

"Starfire…" he said soothingly.

"No, no, NO! You cannot go with _her_! You have to go with _me_!" she yelled. "I'm the one you want, not her! You said – you said that you wanted _me_!"

"That's a lie!" Robin said, getting angry too.

"What do you want with her? She is nothing special. _I'm_ the one that is special!" she cried at the top of her voice. "Do you understand me?! She is just a little demon-girl looking for the attention!" she tossed her fiery hair furiously.

"I won't have you speaking about Raven that way, Starfire. Stop this now; I never said anything to you to make you see things this way and you know it."

"But Robin…" she was almost pleading now.

"Enough!" he cut her off.

For a second, she looked like a hurt little girl, but suddenly, she drew herself back into the mask of fury. "You will regret this, Robin. Mark my words." She said softly, ominously. But her glowing eyes were not on him.

_End of Chapter_


	17. Chapter 17

_We've hit 100 reviews!! Thanks so much guys! You rock! _

_Some people were unhappy at how I portrayed Starfire in the last chapter, but I think she has some evil inside her in the series... so this is just my interpretation of Starfire. Please don't take it personally!_

_Enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Chapter 17: **__**Truth**_

A week or so later, things had calmed down a bit at the tower. A couple of days after Robin and Raven announced themselves to the team, Raven had taken the neutralising bracelet off (Slade had explained how to her). It was a hard thing to do; not only was she afraid that she wouldn't be able to control her powers after two and a half months without them, but she was also sad that she had to go back to controlling her every emotion. But she kept the bracelet safely locked in her room for times when she couldn't think about managing her emotions. Like when she and Robin were alone. She meditated everyday now. She had control, she just had to get used to having it again.

Starfire's angry outburst had not been forgotten, but she seemed to be back to normal now. Only once or twice had Raven caught Star glaring at her with suppressed rage. Raven tried not to think about it; she hoped that Star would get over it eventually and things would be back to normal. Hopefully.

Raven was beginning to worry about having to keep her whole ordeal with Slade a secret. She didn't like keeping it from Robin. Maybe it would be better to just tell him so that he wouldn't get as angry as she expected he would if he found out on his own and go and seek him out for retribution. The last thing she wanted was for them to fight over her. Plus, the air would be cleared between them; the secret wouldn't be hanging between them.

One evening, Raven was meditating on the roof at her favourite time of day – sunset. She heard Robin's tentative steps behind her; he was afraid to startle her out of her trance.

"Rae?" he said softly.

"Yes?" she replied just as softly, her feet coming to touch the ground.

"Am I disturbing you?"

"You never disturb me." She said smiling.

He smiled back. "How's the meditation going?"

"Good."

He came and stood next to her, taking her hand, lacing their fingers. Lifting their interlocked hands, he kissed the back of hers. With his free hand, he took his mask off, setting it down on the concrete banister. The gesture never failed to touch Raven; it showed the level of familiarity they shared. He felt that comfortable around her and he trusted her that much to be his true self with her. Her smile of pleasure turned to one of tenderness. Then he moved behind her, putting his arms around her, his chin on her shoulder, and they looked out to the breathtaking sunset together. Raven leaned her head back, resting it on his shoulder, her left cheek against his right one. She sighed contentedly; she had never felt so happy.

They stood together for a long time, watching the sun go down amid the reds, oranges, blues and purples. When it was dark, Raven shifted out of their embrace, turning to face him. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Robin…"

"Yes?"

"I… I think it's time I tell you everything."

He seemed surprised. "You mean about the time that you were gone?"

"Yes." She could tell that he was pleased that she was telling him, but he knew that it was serious matter, and so his face was sombre.

"Go on." He said.

"But you have to promise that you'll hear me out until I'm finished, and that you won't do anything rash." He raised his eyebrows at that, suspicious of what she was going to tell him.

"Robin…" she said warningly. "Promise?"

"Is it that bad?" he said.

"Please, just promise me."

He sighed in frustration. "Okay. I promise."

"Good. Okay. Now, where to start…" she struggled for the words to explain. "Well, I told you that I was kidnapped, but I didn't tell you by who. It was Slade - ."

"I knew it!" Robin cried. Raven could already see anger and retribution rising up in his eyes.

"Robin," she said sharply. "You promised. Now hear me out."

He frowned, but stayed silent.

"He kept me at some remote place, which I still don't even know the location of. I was angry about my capture; he caught me when I was preoccupied and unprepared. I was also extremely frustrated that I couldn't use my powers; I was afraid of not being able to get control back. After about a week, I tried to escape, but he caught me and from then on kept a much closer eye on me." Raven had decided to leave out a few details… like that she had to sleep in his bed. Robin didn't need to know _everything._

"From then on, it wasn't quite as bad. Now, don't get angry, but after a while, we sort of… became friends. I know that's hard for you to believe, but it's true. It's not like it happened overnight; we just started to get used to each other, and we tended to forget that we were enemies. I was reminded of it though; I found a room that showed all the security cameras in the tower. I pretty much flipped; I saw you in your room… without your mask. I was shocked to see how exhausted you were. You looked terrible, and it was awful to see you like that. But he apologised to me; he wanted me to understand that he had to keep tabs on you guys. I did understand, but needless to say, I was unhappy about it. But I tried to forget about it."

"So that's why you freaked out after we – you know…" Robin said.

"Yes. I don't know if he saw us or not, but I don't like to think that he did. At least they're gone now. Anyway, the last few days were nice; we had fun; it's hard to believe, I know. But I was worried about you; I was afraid you'd run yourself flat. So I just asked him to take me home."

"And he agreed?" Robin said sceptically.

"Well, reluctantly, yes. You have to understand, we developed quite a close relationship. That's why I have to tell you the most difficult part now."

She saw him almost brace himself; an emotion that she couldn't place crept into his eyes. The closest comparison she could think of was hurt. She swallowed. "So, I have to tell you… that I won't fight against him. I won't stop you, but I will not raise a hand against him."

The nameless emotion changed to surprise, then anger. "What about us? Your team? Do we mean so little to you?" he said quietly, the anger suppressed in his voice. "What if he were to hurt one of us? Kill one of us? Kill me?"

Raven blinked, trying to control her emotions - she wasn't wearing the bracelet.

"If he hurt or killed you, our truce would be over and I would kill him." She looked away to hide the moisture in her eyes.

Robin's eyebrows rose in surprise at her harsh answer. He touched her cheek gently, sorry that he'd got so angry so quickly.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him with glistening eyes. "I love you, Robin."

He ran his fingers through her silky hair tenderly. "I love you too." Drawing her into his arms, he whispered into her ear, "Thank you for telling me. We'll talk more later. Right now, however… we're going to do this." and his lips moved softly to her neck.

_End of Chapter 17_


	18. Chapter 18

_Enjoy the next chapter! let me know what you think!_

_**Chapter 18: **__**Too Good to be True**_

Robin lay awake, his hand unconsciously stroking Raven's smooth back as they lay together in his bed. Her head rested on his bare chest, his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Her breath tickled his chest as she slowly drew air in and out in her deep sleep. She slept soundly, but he couldn't.

He couldn't stop thinking about what she'd told him about Slade kidnapping her. He had known it was him, he just knew it, but what he couldn't figure out was how he had stayed so successfully hidden for so long. Robin hadn't been able to find a single clue pointing him in the right direction for months. How was it possible? Another thing that was bugging him was the state Raven was in when she came home. Why had she been so upset? She had cried and cried pain-filled sobs. What had Slade done to her?

Robin swore he would find out and make him pay for the hurt he'd clearly caused her. But he'd have to be patient. Raven obviously wasn't keen to talk about it anymore, so he would have to coax it out of her. In the meantime, he'd do more digging.

Raven stirred next to him, stretching languidly and then tilting her head up to look at him. "Good morning." She said softly, smiling.

"Morning." He smiled back. She looked so beautiful in the morning light, her silky hair glistening. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well." She said, her smile turning mischievous. "And you?"

"Oh, you how I slept." He chuckled. They looked at each other a moment, both pairs of eyes softly appraising. Robin bent his head and kissed her lips softly.

"I suppose we should get up." He murmured against her mouth.

"Mm-hm…" she answered. Her tongue slowly caressed his lower lip, her hand sliding up his taut abdomen, making him groan.

"Oh alright!" he said as he pushed her back, leaning over her and deepening the kiss. She chuckled seductively. "Aren't you hungry, Robin?" she said coyly.

"Only for you." He said tenderly. Raven placed her hand on his smooth cheek, looking up into his bright eyes.

A while later, both tired out once more, Raven lay again with her head resting on his chest, but this time Robin was asleep and she was lying awake, thinking.

She had never dreamed it could be like this with Robin. She had had her fantasies, but they didn't come close to the contentment and happiness she felt with him now. Sometimes it scared her; surely it was too good to be true? The closer they became, the more she feared that something would pull them apart. They had lots of enemies. Not to mention Garret Slade.

True to her word, she had not told Robin his real name. But she thought of him often. Sometimes it felt like their whole time together was a dream, something that never really happened. The only thing that was real to her now was Robin. But she was worried; had Slade seen them on his camera that first night? If he had, who knew what he might do. He could seek revenge on the team, on her, on Robin or even the both of them. He could try and come between them. Or he could do nothing. She didn't know; and she didn't think that it would be a good idea to meet him at the end of the month like they'd said. Too many things had changed. And if he was angry, it would be a good opportunity for him to try something.

Raven tilted her head back and looked at Robin's face. She loved him so much. It was way too scary to contemplate losing him. So she didn't; she left him sleeping and went to the window. She took off the neutralising bracelet, placing it gently on the sill. And she meditated. Sometimes, it was a good thing to be able to control your emotions, she thought.

An hour or two later, Robin woke up to an empty bed. Sitting up, he quickly spotted her floating by the window, cross-legged, meditating. He sat back with a smile. Was it healthy to love someone so much? Yes, he thought. This feeling could only be good.

Robin jumped as the alarm rang out, jolting Rae out of her trance too. A villain was on the loose, and they were being called. Getting up, he pulled his uniform on, then his heavy boots.

"Don't forget your mask, honey." Raven said as she fastened her cloak around her neck, smiling.

"Sure thing, darling." He chuckled. They liked calling each other those typical, lovey-dovey names.

Uniforms in place, they headed down to the living room hand in hand. The rest of the team was huddled around the table in front of the huge computer screen.

"What seems to be the problem?" Robin asked mildly. Raven noticed Starfire's head snap around at the sound of his voice, her eyes narrowing as she looked at their laced fingers. Her eyes went from Raven to Robin, her face filled with malice before she turned away and Rae could see no more.

"Oh the usual," Cyborg said without turning around. "We've had an invitation to the exclusive lair." He chuckled.

"Well, lucky us." Robin said sarcastically. "Who's it this time?"

"Slade."

_End of Chapter 18_


	19. Chapter 19

_Enjoy! _

_**Chapter 19: Confrontation**_

Raven froze, feeling Robin stiffen next to her too. Cyborg carried on talking, his back to them, unaware of the impact his words had on his two friends. Raven turned her head to look at Robin, her fear and shock written on her face. He looked into her wide eyes; she could see anger in his face, but with his mask on she couldn't be sure what he was hiding in his eyes. "Robin…" she whispered.

"It's ok, Rae. This had to happen eventually." He replied under his breath. "What are you going to do?"

Raven looked away from him; his gaze had now become intense. She drew a deep breath. "I'll come with you, see what he wants, but I won't fight. If it comes to that." She added. "But Robin, I know you. Please, don't try and take revenge on him for what he did. It's all in the past, and I don't want you to feel that I expect it of you."

He sighed. "Don't worry. I won't do anything unless he attacks me first."

"Thank you." She murmured, squeezing his hand that she still held. He squeezed hers back and lent forward to whisper in her ear, "I love you. You know that, right?"

She nodded. "I love you too."

"Um, excuse me? Sorry to interrupt, but are you guys ready to go?" Beast Boy's voice broke into their consciousness. They both looked up to see him standing with his hand on his hips, frowning in a bewildered way. "Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever get used to you two lovebirds." He laughed.

Raven smiled, needing the lighter moment. "Ok, let's go." Robin said, his fingers still locked with hers. "Do you want to come on my bike with me?" he asked her.

Raven nodded. She didn't want to be separated from him right now.

Down in the garage, Robin expertly straddled the bike, leaving Raven to scramble clumsily on behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he said, "Ok, you ready?"

"Yes." She said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin oh his shoulder. He turned the ignition, and with a roar it came to life. And they sped off.

As the wind blew by, slapping her face and sending her cloak billowing out behind her like a long purple banner, she felt more exhilarated than she could ever remember feeling. All her fears seemed to be blown away and she knew that she would always be ok. As long as she had Robin. He would always be there for her. Slade could not touch them, no matter how angry or betrayed he felt.

They pulled up outside an abandoned looking factory, the rest of the team close behind. Robin got off the bike, turning back to take her hand as she climbed off. Setting his helmet on the seat, he took her hand again, looking closely at her face. "You ok? Are you ready for this?" he murmured so that the team couldn't hear.

"Yes. I'm fine." She said confidently.

They walked through deserted corridors, passing locked, dirty doors. At the end of what seemed to be the main thoroughfare, big double doors stood open, the large room beyond dimly lit. Robin and Raven went first, their fingers laced together, and the rest of the team fanned out behind them.

Their footsteps echoed around the large hall they walked into. Tables were pushed up against the walls, covered in once white cloths, now covered in dust. Around and on top of these were hundreds of boxes and a few upturned chairs. They walked forward cautiously, eyes raking the shadows for movement.

"Slade!" Robin called out. "Here we are!"

His voice bounced off the walls, fading into silence once more.

"Yes indeed, Robin. Here you are." A silky, metallic voice that was all too familiar to Raven floated over.

"Slade? Where are you?" Raven said softly. Silence. She looked around nervously. Something didn't feel right.

Then, something moved to their left. Slowly, Slade stepped into the light, coming to stand right in the middle of the room, only a few feet away.

"Welcome, welcome." He said softly. "How… wonderful to see you all again." But the one eye he showed was fixed on Raven. It travelled from her face, to Robin's, narrowing almost imperceptibly when it reached their linked hands. "I see that there have been some new developments in the Titans Tower. In fact, there is not much that I haven't seen." He sneered.

Raven gasped. So he had been watching that night. The thought made her shudder. She felt Robin's hand clench over her own, and slanted a sideways glance at him. His mouth was drawn into a thin line and a muscle twitched in his jaw. She tightened her hand too, making him glance at her. Silently, she pleaded with her eyes for him to let it go. Don't get angry, she thought. Behind them, the team looked between them confusedly. Had they missed something?

Robin sighed, calming himself, and turned back to Slade.

"What do you want, Slade?" he asked.

"Well… honestly, I was hoping you'd be rearing for a fight and would get things started, but it seems you're very clearheaded today… although I did seem to be getting to you a moment ago, before dear Raven calmed you." He glared at her.

"So it's a fight you want?" Robin asked. Raven looked quickly at him – his voice had betrayed a bit of anticipation.

"Robin!" she hissed. He looked sheepishly at her.

Turning back to Slade he said, "Sorry, but I can't oblige. Raven has asked me not to fight you." She heard the hint of regret.

"You won't fight? Ah, poor Robin. So easily controlled by a woman. How… sweet. You obviously don't mind making yourself look weak just to keep her happy." He said sneeringly. "I find that rather touching."

Robin straightened his spine. "You won't bait me into a fight."

"Too bad. Well, perhaps it will be permitted for me to fight you?"

"Why are you doing this, Ga-…? Slade?" she asked in a suffocated voice. "Why do you have to be like this? Weren't we friends?"

"You know what you did to change that." He said angrily.

"But you _knew_ how I felt about him! Surely it wasn't such a surprise?"

"Ok, what the heck is going on here?" Cyborg cried.

Slade looked surprised for a moment. "I see that you have been keeping certain things quiet, Raven. Time enough to explain later… right now, Robin and I have a score to settle…"

Raven's hand tightened once again on Robin's as Slade walked forward, cracking his knuckles.

_End of Chapter_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Battle

_I'm SO sorry for the long delay! My freaking internet went down AGAIN! Really sorry, guys!_

_Enjoy!_

_**Chapter 20: Battle**_

Robin pushed Raven behind him as Slade advanced, silently telling her to stay out of this. _"No Robin!"_ she hissed.

"Do you not want me to defend myself?" he whispered back furiously. "If he attacks me, I have no choice but to retaliate."

She swallowed her protest, knowing he was right but wishing there was a different way. With no other option, though, she was forced to step back and give them room for their battle.

"Good Girl, Raven. Let the men have it out." Slade's mocking voice floated over. She clenched her teeth in anger, but refused to let him bait her. What happened to the Slade she got to know a few months ago? Maybe he never existed, she thought. She fell back with the titans who threw her questioning looks, still trying to figure everything out. They kept their questions for later, though, as they waited for the fight to begin.

Robin stood his ground, waiting for Slade's attack. Still not breaking his word, he wouldn't fight until forced to defend himself. Slade circled, slightly crouched, poised and ready to pounce. "I've been waiting for this for some time, Robin. Today is the day that you die." He taunted with chilling finality, making Raven shiver.

Suddenly he moved, feinting to the right then quickly changing direction, catching Robin by surprise. But Robin was quick too; he dodged to the right, throwing a punch in the same smooth movement, landing it on Slade's jaw. He was only stunned for a moment, though, and quickly spun around, slamming his elbow into Robin's stomach. He stumbled back, winded, and Slade pressed his advantage. Taking a fistful of his hair, he pulled Robin's head down sharply, smashing it into his raised knee.

Raven gasped, automatically stepping forward, wanting to go to him, stop the blood that was now pouring out of his nose.

"No, Rae." said Cyborg, grabbing her arm. "It's between the two of them. For now."

Without taking her eyes off the two adversaries, she said in a strangled voice, "I can't watch this!"

"Then don't." Cy said softly.

"But I have to!"

With a grim smile, Cy gently placed his huge hand on her shoulder.

Robin landed a kick in Slade's chest, making him stumble back, but he recovered quickly. He swung his fist at Robin's head, but he managed to block it and bring his own fist up, catching Slade under the chin. He aimed another kick, but Slade caught it in his two hands, flipping Robin off his feet and onto his back. He landed with a sickening _thud_ and Raven clenched her teeth, feeling every blow with him.

It went on and on, for what felt like an eternity. As it always was with Robin and Slade, there was never a clear stronger fighter. It went back and forth, Robin gaining, then Slade then Robin…. Raven was going crazy.

In fact, she and the team were so involved in the fight that they didn't hear anything come up behind them. She screamed in fright when she was lifted off her feet, cold metallic hands gripping her arms and legs. Behind her, she saw her friends lying out cold, having been caught by surprise by the few Slade-bots that had silently sneaked in through the doors behind them.

Robin, alerted by her scream, had stopped fighting and was looking at her and the bots with shock. "Robin, look out!" she cried, but too late, Slade came up behind him, hitting him over the head with one of the heavy chairs that littered the room. Robin crumpled to the ground, and didn't get up. _"Robin!"_ she cried.

Slade stood over him, chuckling in a satisfied way. "Finally, you will be out of my way." He murmured. Slowly, he started to lift the solid chair again, aiming it for Robin's head. Raven gasped.

Everything started moving in slow motion. Fury rose up in her throat at the injustice of it all; looking at Robin's limp figure and the knowing the cowardly thing that Slade was meaning to do. She watched as he slowly raised it, holding it above his head.

"_NO!"_ she screamed.

Channelling all her fury and terror into her power, she threw the bots off her so forcefully they slammed into the wall ten feet away from her. Then, she formed her dark energy into a huge, black hand that crashed into the unprepared Slade, slamming him into the concrete floor.

The chair went skidding across the ground, leaving Slade alone on the floor, unconscious. Raven made quick work of the last few bots, sending them careening into the solid concrete walls and floor. Once they all lay scattered, in pieces, she ran over to Robin, kneeling beside him, frantically inspecting him. The blood from his nose had dried, and there was a little at the corner of his mouth. But he was breathing. Nevertheless, she wanted to get him back to the hospital wing at Titans Tower immediately.

Running over to Cyborg, she shook him. "Wake up! I need your help!" his head lolled from side to side. "Cyborg!" she yelled. No response. "Shit!" she muttered frantically.

Running back to Robin, she bent over him again. She would have to heal him here then. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling her energy glowing, swelling inside her, moving through her arms and to her hands. But before she could focus the energy onto Robin, she was yanked back and thrown across the room.

"Not so fast, Raven." Said Slade as she skidded to a stop a few feet away. Groaning in pain as she stood up, she put her hand to her left arm that had dragged on the rough floor; it came back bloody.

She walked forward, black flames cradled in each of her hands as she glared up at him with fury and hate. Dark energy seemed to crackle around her. For a moment, Slade could see the demon side to her. Involuntarily, he took a step back, then realised what he was doing. Shocked at himself, he sneered, "What are you going to do, demon girl?"

"No, Slade. What are _you_ going to do?" she shot back. "When I got here, I was all for not hurting you. I _didn't want_ you to get hurt. Can you believe it? But any feelings I had for you are gone now, Slade. I will not stand back and let you do this. You were going to kill him. You have ruined any relationship we could have had. Now, I am going to take my friends back to the tower. If you try and stop me, don't doubt me, I will fight you, and I will kill you if I have to."

Slade was shocked. What happened to the sweet girl he got to know? "Raven…"

Ignoring him, she moved to walk past him to Robin, but he caught her arm. "Raven, don't you understand…?" Suddenly there was a black shield between them, shoving him back, making him stumble as he fell backwards. "Don't touch me." She bit out.

Focusing her power, she scooped Robin up, then the others, making them float eerily on black slings of energy. Without glancing back, she headed for the door. "Raven." Slade called.

She stopped, looked over her shoulder. "This isn't over." He said.

Turning her back to him, she continued out the door, guiding her unconscious friends in front of her, leaving him to watch her leave helplessly.

_End of Chapter_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Recovery

_**Chapter 21: Recovery**_

Raven jerked awake from her uncomfortable position as Robin stirred. Her neck cricked as it came quickly off her chest. Leaning forward, she took his hand, bringing it softly to her lips.

His head lolled towards her. "Rae?" he croaked.

"I'm here." She whispered. And she had been afraid, she thought, chiding herself. He had come out of things worse than this, after all. "How do you feel?"

"Like there's an axe in my head. What happened to -?" she saw the moment he remembered where they'd been. "Slade!" he gasped. He started to sit up, muscles tense. "Where is he? How did we-?"

"Calm down, Robin." Raven said in alarm as the monitor behind her went crazy with his heartbeats. She pushed him back down gently. "It's alright."

He lay back, but his eyes bored into her. "What happened? I remember the bots… attacked you. I was distracted. Damn, he came up behind me, didn't he?"

She nodded. "Bastard!" he exploded. Raven silently agreed. "And after that?" he demanded.

"Well… Slade was going to – to kill you. He was raising the chair again, while you lay there unconscious, and I… well, I lost my temper." She needn't say more; Robin could guess what happened after she lost her temper.

He softened. "Rae… you got us out of there, didn't you?"

"Well, with all of you guys unconscious, what was I supposed to do?" she teased.

Robin chuckled softly, then winced. "My head hurts. Don't make me laugh, ok?" he said playfully.

"Ok." She said, laughing.

"Ah, I wish I could've seen Slade's face with your temper bearing down on him." He smiled at the image.

She smiled half-heartedly. Robin noticed, and reached over to lift her chin. "What's wrong, love?"

She looked into his mask, wishing he could take it off here. "It's… nothing. You wouldn't want to hear."

He sighed. "Come here, Rae."

She looked at him for a moment, confused; but seeing the suggestion on his face, she understood. Standing up, she leaned over him, her hands braced on either side of him. She brought her lips to his and they kissed softly. Bringing his hand up, he ran it through her hair. "Rae," he whispered when she raised her head from his. "I want to hear about anything that bothers you."

It was her turn to sigh. "It's just that, well, I can't believe what Slade did. He really would have killed you. I can't believe how much I fooled myself into thinking he wasn't that evil person we always knew." She looked sheepish suddenly. "I… I almost miss the Slade I knew. When I was with him. That's why I didn't kill him, I think. I could have, but I – I just didn't."

Robin nodded. "It's ok, Rae. I understand… sort of."

"Don't get me wrong, he is firmly my enemy from now on. It's just… sad that I was so wrong about him."

Robin looked up at her, realising she wasn't quite as hard-hearted as she wanted people to think she was.

"Come." He said, shifting over slightly and holding his arm out for her. She smiled tenderly, and carefully climbed onto the narrow bed. She lay next to him on her side, her head on his chest, his outstretched arm curled around her. Bending his head slightly, he kissed her hair. "I understand, love."

She laid her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat and listening to the monitor beep at the same time. She rubbed her hand up and down his torso; from midriff to heart and down again. He took up her movement, skimming his hand up and down her spine. There was nothing sexual about it; they were just feeling each other, happy to have the other one there, with them. "I love you." They murmured in unison. They smiled a smile of love together then, snuggling closer to the other's warmth.

TTTTT

A few days later, Robin was cleared to leave the hospital wing. He and Raven walked into the living room together, and their friends were there to turn and smile as they entered. "How you feeling, bro?" Cy said, clapping Robin on the back. Robin punched Cy's shoulder playfully.

"I'm great." He said, grinning.

"I was starting to worry, dude!" Beast Boy laughed.

Surprisingly, Starfire, who hadn't spoken to Robin or Raven at all in the past weeks, came forward. She smiled. "I am pleased at your recovery, friend Robin." She turned her smile on Raven too, who smiled back with relief.

Raven made some tea, and so cradling their warm mugs, they went to sit on the huge sofas.

"Ok, you two. No more evading. What's been going on?" Cy said, getting straight to the point. Robin and Raven looked at each other, and after a moment, Rae nodded. Robin turned back to the team, and started the story.

"It was Slade who kidnapped Raven. He hoped taking her would weaken me, as he suspected our relationship." He told the whole story, holding Rae's hand all the while.

When he was finished, the three team mates stared at them. "All _that's_ been going on all this time?" Beast Boy burst out. "Why didn't you tell us, Rae?"

She looked sheepishly at him. "I have also been extremely confused by all this. I wasn't sure what do to or how much to tell."

"It must have been pretty hard going to face him that day, huh?" Cy said. Raven nodded.

"But after that… confrontation… he is firmly back in his place as enemy." She added. They all nodded in agreement.

They were silent for a moment. "So… what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked, breaking the moment.

"I guess we wait… I for one, am not going to let him surprise me again."

_End of Chapter_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: No Choice at All

_This is it, people… The FINAL chapter… Please enjoy responsibly… hehe! I really hope you guys like the ending; it may not be exactly what you wanted to happen, but hey, it is my story after all! Thanks so much, guys, enjoy!_

_**Chapter 22: **__**No Choice at All**_

Slade crept through the darkness so intense it pressed on his eyes. He peered ahead of him, unable to make anything out, relying on his senses. He had managed to gain entrance to the tower without being detected, and he intended to keep it that way. He would not be kept from Raven any longer.

Slade froze as the sound of breathing became apparent up ahead. Motionless, he listened. It was soft, gentle breathing, but it was clear the person was asleep. It was coming from the living room. Cautiously, he stepped out of the dark passage he had been lurking in. The sofas were dimly lit up by the moonlight streaming in through the huge windows, and he could make out a small form sitting in a chair. He squinted, trying to see properly. Unconsciously, he straightened as awareness flowed through him; it was Raven. Alone.

Raven dozed, her chin on her chest, her body relaxed from the tense pose she'd been sitting in when she fell asleep. She hadn't told the titans what she intended to do about Slade, but secretly, she suspected he'd come to the tower. So she'd taken to sitting up at night, waiting for him, waiting to surprise him. But she'd been waiting one night too many. She was exhausted.

So she didn't hear Slade creep up behind her chair, didn't hear him slip something from his pocket. She jerked fully awake when something cold was clamped on her wrist. Before she could even gasp, a strong hand was over her mouth, the arms dragging her back over the chair and against a hard body. She struggled, already knowing who it was and what was on her wrist. "Ok, Raven, ok! Calm down!" he whispered in her ear. He was pulling her, dragging her out of the living room, down the passage… _No!_ She struggled more fiercely, but her strength was no match for his arms clamped over her like bands of steel.

She began to lose hope when he got her outside, but in pure desperation, she bit down with all her might on his fleshy palm. He gasped, loosening his grasp slightly, enough for her to break free. She pushed away from him, stumbling back herself.

"What the hell d'you think you're doing?" she yelled. "Trying to kidnap me again? You should have brought the chloroform again, because I will not go with you willingly!" She spat out.

"Raven, I… I just wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"Well did you have to drag me out of there like that?" she cried.

"I'm sorry, Raven… I just didn't know how else to get you alone." He peeled his mask off, surprising her with the sight of his true face again. It was as shockingly handsome as before.

"W-what are you doing?" she said, taken aback.

"I want to talk to you as Garret, not Slade." he said, stepping closer to her.

Raven mentally shook herself, getting rid of the momentary shocked stupor his face put her in.

"You will always be Slade to me now." She whispered.

"Can't you understand? Do you not see why I acted like I did when we last met at the factory?" he said, gripping her upper arms, willing her to comprehend. She just blinked up at him, wide-eyed and surprised by his sudden intensity.

"It's not like I didn't know that you loved Robin; we discussed it. It's just that… when I saw you… and him… on the monitors…" Raven closed her eyes in mortification. "…I watched him kiss you, and I couldn't watch anymore, but I knew what you were going to do. And to see that physical confirmation that the person you love is willingly in the arms of another… something snapped, Rae. I felt betrayed, though I know I had no real right to be. Don't you understand that I love you, and that it hurts so much to know that you love another, love _him_, and I know you're in his arms every night? _Don't you?_"

Raven remembered how it felt to think that Robin was in love with Starfire. "Yes. Yes, Garret. I understand." She said softly.

Roughly, he pulled her against him, and he kissed her hard. She neither pulled away nor resisted. He rested his forehead against hers and let out a breath.

"Raven. Why does this have to be so complicated?"

Without answering, she pulled out of his embrace and took a step back, hugging herself. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with sorrow.

"Raven… say something." He pleaded.

"I… I don't know what to say." She looked away from him, then back. "You and I cannot be. You know that."

His shoulders slumped. "Yes. I know. I had hoped… but no."

She stepped close again, laying a hand against his cold cheek. "I love Robin. If I had to choose between you and him, it would be no choice at all. I can't change the way I feel. But I am sorry that I can't love you, Garret. I honestly believe that you are a good person. A villain is not who you are. Garret, leave Slade behind, go and find a life you can love, and find someone who can love you. You, who you really are."

"How can I leave you behind?"

She smiled sadly. "You have to. We can't go on like this. Think back on me as the first person to see you for who you really are. I will remember you as the person you are now; unguarded and gentle. Remember me as you like, but I beg you, live your life. Don't be bitter."

He kissed her softly on the lips. "I will remember you as you are now. Wise and beautiful. And I will always carry the memory of you and me at my childhood home, laughing together."

She smiled. "Those are good memories that I will also cherish. But you agree that we can't go on like this? Living so close? Hurting each other?"

"Yes. I wish it could be different."

Raven shook her head sadly. "It can't be." They were silent for a moment. "Where will you go?"

"I… I don't know… perhaps…I think I will travel. See more of the world. I need to clear my head, get away from the familiar." He looked deep into her bright eyes.

"Perhaps we will see each other again someday." He said, his voice still sad.

"I hope so." She said honestly.

"I'll miss you Rae. But I need to get over you. I think you're right; I need to do this." He said squeezing her hand. "But I don't think I will forget you." Turning her hand up, he kissed her palm.

"Goodbye, Rae. Remember, if anything happens to your relationship with Robin, you can always come and find me."

She smiled ruefully. "Goodbye, Garret. Be happy."

Giving her hand a last squeeze, he reluctantly let go, turned and walked away. He did not turn back for a last look.

She watched him go, watched him disappear into the darkness. Then she turned to go back into the tower.

Back in the living room, she looked out over the sea. The sky was turning lighter along the horizon; it was nearly morning. It was a good omen, she thought. A new beginning for both of them. A few hours ago, she didn't know if their situation would ever be solved. And now it was. Just like that. She felt enormous peace. She was free to be with Robin, no one was there to break them apart.

She turned to go to bed and sleep a little, but she stopped at Robin's door, a mischievous smile playing about her mouth. She crept in, silently coming up to his sleeping form. His head was turned towards her, so she leaned down and kissed him awake. Looking back the next morning, it was a good thing she still had that bracelet on, because if she hadn't, it was likely Robin's room would have been smashed to pieces.

_--The End--_

_Hope you enjoyed my story… Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts… I know some of you wanted her to be with Slade… maybe I'll write another story sometime with them again. Cheers for now!_


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